#lumosinlove ocs

[lumosinlove]

Idk about parched per say, but I’m very thirsty for some snuggly smushy LeLo art after these last two chapters

Snuggly smushy you say?

#lelo #leo knut #logan tremblay #lumosinloveart #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #lumosinlove ocs

[floralflorence]

POV: Leo and Reg sneak off during a party. (Purely self-indulgent smut - sorry not sorry.)

Minors DNI :)

"Hey, handsome." Leo jumped slightly at the arms suddenly wrapping around his waist, almost spilling the coke he was adding to Logan's drink. He put the bottle down, deftly screwing the lid back on before turning, leaning his lower back against the counter.

"You scared me," Leo laughed, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Désole, Peanut. Could I maybe...make it up to you?" Reg drawled in a low whisper, pushing up onto his tiptoes to kiss him slowly, balancing using a hand on Leo's torso. With a surprised hum at the intensity, Leo cupped Reg's cheek to pull him in closer, another hand coming to support the small of his back.

"Knutty, if we could remember that's my little brother, that'd be great," Sirius called from the doorway of the kitchen, his voice carrying over the noise of the team party in the Cubs' living room. Leo just stuck a thumb up behind Reg's back before slipping his hand around to the back of his head, tugging him in as he slipped his tongue into his mouth. They pulled away with a wet sound, Leo stroking a thumb across Reg's bottom lip.

"You're forgiven," he mumbled, surprised, grinning when Reg laughed loudly.

"You're banned from wearing these shirts when you're party hosting," Reg replied indignantly, wrapping his arms around Leo's neck.

After glancing down at his shirt, which really would have just been a normal shirt if it wasn't for the obscenely tight fit. "Oh really? Why's that, hm?"

"Because you're a good host and won't agree to disappear upstairs with me," he pouted back.

Leo debated for a minute before leaning down and pressing a kiss just below Reg's ear, whispering into it softly.

"You know, there are two more hosts. No one would miss us if we slipped into the bathroom for a few minutes."

Reg pulled back to look him in the eyes for a moment. "You better be serious about that," he mumbled, sliding his hand slowly down Leo's torso after a quick look back at the doorway. Leo's eyes fluttered when Reg cupped him through his jeans, adding slight amounts of pressure as he groaned.

"Bathroom. Allez."

Doing a terrible job of not looking too proud of himself, Reg tangled his fingers with Leo's, tugging him along behind him. "Shit - one sec," Leo said, grabbing Logan's cup from the counter and sprinting into the living room to give it to him, that being the whole reason he was in the kitchen in the first place. Reg hovered by the door to the downstairs bathroom, trying to look inconspicuous. He had to stifle a laugh behind his hand as he watched Kasey desperately try and focus on the conversation he was having with Celeste and Logan. His main distraction came in the form of Alex, stood next to him talking with Finn and Dumo, tracing and raking his nails up and down Kasey's arm mindlessly.

"Hey, change your mind?" Leo swam into view suddenly, a smirk playing on his features.

"With you looking like that? I don't think so." They slipped silently into the bathroom, Reg rising up onto his toes to cup both sides of his neck and pull him down to kiss him.

"Tu es si joli," Leo breathed between kisses, his hands running down the strong planes of Reg's back to his ass, kneading the flesh roughly in his palms.

"Show me then." Leo slipped his grip slightly lower, holding the backs of his thighs and lifting him, pressing his back up against the door of the bathroom as his kisses trailed down to his neck. Reg's fingers tangled in his hair, tugging harshly as Leo's teeth nipped and marked along his skin. "Fuck me, baby."

He felt Leo grin wolfishly against his neck before he paused. "Fuck. We don't have lube in here."

"Don't need it."

Leo pulled away, looking up at Reg with a faux-annoyed look. "Fucking knew you and Tremz took too long to get ready."

"You try being in the same room as Lo while he's half-naked and see if you're not bending him over the nearest flat surface," Reg rebutted, giving him a knowing look.

"I'm guessing it didn't take much persuading for you to let him bend you over either," Leo whispered.

Reg hummed, shrugging noncommittally before tightening his legs around Leo's waist. "You three can be very persuasive when you want to be. Lucky for you there's no persuasion necessary today, I'm in the mood to be railed in a bathroom." Reg leaned forwards and sucked Leo's bottom lip into his mouth, laving his tongue along it and digging his teeth in before letting it spring back. Seemingly the last straw for Leo, he dropped his grip on the back of Reg's legs, lowering him gently to the floor before placing a palm between his shoulder blades pushing until he got the message and bent over the marble counter of the sink.

The coolness of it made Reg's breath catch before a moan slipped from his lips as Leo tugged down his waistband until it hooked under his ass. Leo groaned softly when his hard cock finally slipped from the tight confines of his jeans, slicking himself up slightly with spit, checking in with Reg quickly then pressing his tip against the still lube-slick ring of muscle.

''Dieu, how are you still so tight after taking Lo.''

'''S that a complaint I hear there, Knut?''

Leo huffed out a laugh that trailed into a moan when he bottomed out in him, his hips stilling as his eyes fluttered. The only thing stopping them from closing entirely was Reg's reflection in the mirror, his cheek pressed against the marble but tilted up to the mirror still as his brows pinched in the centre.

''I thought I specified that I was in the mood to be railed, non?'' Reg's voice sassed even as his grip was tight on the edge of the surface. Always one to give his boys whatever they asked him for, Leo took that idea and rolled with it. He pulled out and pushed back in once, making sure Reg's expression didn't waver with pain. It didn't.

His hand, that had moved back to rest between Reg's shoulder blades slid up to wrap over top of his shoulder, holding him there as he began pumping his hips furiously, biting his lip, well aware there was family right on the other side of the door. After pushing up to rest his elbows on the counter, Reg made eye contact with him in the mirror, cheeks flushed, eyes hooded as he already looked fucked out. He seemed to be struggling with this despite trying his hardest to keep his noises down. Moving quickly, Leo moved his hand again to wrap around and cover his mouth, surprised when Reg's eyes rolled back and he moaned loudly into his hand. Not being able to help being proud of himself, Leo went harder, hoping the sounds of their hips meeting weren't too loud but honestly not really overly caring when his boyfriend was moaning like that because of him.

When Leo's hips shifted as he shuffled his feet so he was more stable, he grinned and focused his thrusts more when Reg's hand shot out for something to grab but didn't find anything that wasn't flat surface; meaning his ended up with one hand gripping Leo's wrist tightly, the other pressed palm-flat against the mirror, his legs trembling. His moans were getting more and more discernible the more Leo's tip pounded against his prostate, making Leo lean down to mumble in his ear, his lips brushing the shell of it, his voice deep and hoarse while he made dead eye contact with him in mirrored surface.

''Gotta be quiet, remember? Can't have Cap knowing his baby brother's too needy for cock to wait a few hours.'' Leo broke off with a deep groan as Reg's walls tightened around him. ''Such a little slut, turning me on in the kitchen where everyone can see. Did you want me to just bend you over the counter right there? Hold my hand over your mouth to keep you quiet for me and fuck you in the corner of the room where anyone could walk in, hm? Voudrais-tu ça, mon coeur?'' Reg nodded as best he could, whimpering while a tear slowly slid down his cheek, Leo's thumb unconsciously swiping it away.

'''M gonna cum,'' Reg's muffled voice came from behind his hand.

''I know - I can feel you fucking milking me, sweetheart,'' Leo teased him, a cocky smirk on his face.

Reg resisted the urge to roll his eyes - this man and his fucking ego sometimes. Although, he supposed it was only annoying because he was right. Leo had a lot of skills but he had a few things he was an outright expert at (this being one of them) and Leo knew exactly what they were.

He could tell that Leo was getting close too, the hand that had been gripping the counter to keep himself steady moving to hold desperately onto Reg's hip.

''Shit, you take it so well. Take me just like that for me, darlin'. Cum for me, baby, c'mon,'' Leo encouraged when Reg mumbled senselessly, his eyes fighting not to roll back. With his grip on Leo's wrist tightening almost painfully, Reg came with a shudder and high-pitched whine, breathy moans slipping through Leo's fingers as he rode it out with Leo's still-moving hips. His walls flexing around him made Leo groan, deep and long in his ear. ''You're gonna make me cum. God, I love you,'' he mumbled, tucking his face into Reg's neck, hips stilling as he went completely silent.

They caught their breaths for a minute, Leo staying with his forehead in his neck, Reg leaning heavily on his elbows. ''You think people have noticed we disappeared yet?'' Reg spoke; his tone was joking and tired.

With an equally exhausted laugh, Leo propped his chin on his shoulder and smiled at him in the mirror. ''I really fucking hope not.'' He gently cleaned up the cum that had dripped down Reg's thighs and tugged his boxers and trousers back up his legs with a small pat to his hips before doing the same to himself. ''Bon?''

''Parfait,'' Reg smiled, turning to wrap his arms around Leo's neck, leaning his body weight against his chest. ''Kiss.''

Complying, Leo scattered soft kisses to his lips. ''D'accord, allez.'' Reg slipped out before him, the two desperately trying to look like they hadn't just fucked. Leo met Logan's eye where he was leant back against Finn's chest, the pair talking with Alex and Nat - Kasey was there too, just not talking, more than content in his quite tipsy state to just remained tucked under Alex's arm with Nat stroking mindless circles on his lower back. Logan's greeting smile quickly turned into a look of mock-betrayal as he nudged Finn and nodded over to them. ''I think we've been discovered,'' Reg whispered to him.

Leo's arms snaked around his waist, his nose brushing the hair that curled above Reg's ear. ''Feel like teasing them?''

''Always,'' he answered immediately. He let Leo turn him in his arms, smiling when he slid his hands down to grip handfuls of his ass and pull him into him. Capturing Reg's lips in a sensual kiss full of tongue, Leo flicked his eyes over Reg's shoulder and looked at Logan first, then at Finn. He closed his eyes and slipped a hand up the prominent line of Reg's spine to cup the back of his head, guiding him to tilt it to deepen the kiss.

''Nutty! My brother!'' Sirius' voice echoed, trying to sound mad but breaking out into laughs when everyone else did too at his bantering.

He pulled away, heading over to join their boyfriends.

''Remind me to use the upstairs bathroom,'' Alex faux-whispered to Nat, a teasing smile playing on his lips. Leo tried sputtering an excuse before he gave up, seeing even Reg look up at him with a grin that told him there was no chance they'd believe him.

In the end, Leo just shrugged. ''He's hot.'' The small group burst out laughing at the relatable statement before falling back to whatever they were talking about before.

#lumosinlove #o'knutzy #o'knutzy x reg #lumosinlove ocs #smut #finn ohara #leo knut #logan tremblay #regulus black #hints of o'darwin #pure self-indulgent smut

[whataboutmyfries]

✩THE BEDTIME STORY PROJECT✩

Noot Special!

Hello hello hello! Welcome to a very special edition of the Bedtime story project!!! this could be read a love letter to all my beloved noot friends (it absolutely is btw) but also as a collection of some truly incredible fics by some equally incredible people. For those of you seeing this for the first time, this is not-quite regular post wherein i rec shorter, usually fluffy, fics in the hopes that you too find something to make your bedtime that little bit sweeter!

~

Oknutzy

✩Suburbia by @fruitcoops (T: rated by me)

Starting off so so so strong with Eve's wonderful writing. This fic feels like a big hug and I love it to bits oh gosh <333 Anyone that knows sweater weather knows Eve is an absolute GOD in this fandom and the fact that I get to interact with her on the daily and call her my friend still feels a wee bit like a fever dream. she's out here writing utter magic like countermoves and Land of light both of which have me climbing the walls and chewing at the floorboards cause holy SHIT (whoops, back to the fic) I'm not going to lie, it was so hard to pic just a few fics to rec, but I went with the one I'd read this week for the wee oneshot because oh GOSH it is so somft and lovely and adorable, i love it.

✩Frosted windowpanes by @heyitssmiller (G | 13.8K)

Piercing, bitter cold greeted Logan as he stepped outside for the first time that day. The kind of cold that made the entire body tense up and the breath hitch. It was a quiet early morning, with a stillness that only freshly-fallen snow could bring. Logan took a second to pull his toque further down over his head as he grabbed the chainsaw by the door before heading out to the truck, passing the sign with red, clean lettering that read Tremblay’s Christmas Trees.

Now anyone that's been on this blog for a while knows just how much I ADORE mills and her writing (hello my lovely E-fiancee!!) And this FIC oh GOSH!!!! Frosted wondowpanes recently had its two year anniversary (!!!) which is when it was published on Ao3. I won't lie, this au still lives in my head RENT FREE along with clandestine and also Rendezvous with destiny (both of which I am definitely NOT reccing in this list no sir, not AT ALL nuh uh please dont have the links to them (they're on the names) and also whatever you do DONT go and yell in milo's comments about how MAGNIFICENT her writing is, no sir, definitely not suggesting that) Because of just how adorable it is, so much blushy flirting and idiots in love, 100/10

✩Leo's plant corner by @we-are-swearwolves (G)

Finn/Leo/Logan: plants and domesticity and social media mishaps 

Oh lord, oh jesus. Anyone that's ever interacted with me for any amount of time on the SW discord know I am absolutely FERAL for Em's writing. This is one of her shorter fics but you should absolutely definitely decidedly NOT go read her other works which I am NOT rec-ing because they definitely did NOT make me cry sob eat my heart out and feel shrimp emotions like Québécois and also "Smile, Soleil." nuh uh, not at ALL ;)

✩I've got my love to keep me warm by @arrowofcarnations (M | 1.7K)

Okay so, most people know Kim as the incredible author behind the fandom classic Inked but oh my GOSH the way kim writes makes me so EMOSH it is unreal, her characters are so fleshed out and tangible and so so gorgeous and also i get to watch her to her magic word thing on the discord??? like hello??? little old me witness to this absolute SORCERY??? genuinely insane, i adore it so much. Alsooooo cute little fun fact: Kim and Em worked together to write the masterpiece that absolutely BROKE me Like Real People Do just flipping INCREDIBLE. absolutely showstopping. I love Kim and her writing so so much.

✩Regency AU by @peggyrose19 (E: rated by me)

oh my god oh my god oh my GOD. Audrey's writing is so fucking *chef's kiss* and watching this magic story come to life in the SW discord was an absolute DELIGHT. utterly filthy, completely delightful and wonderful in every single way. Of course, Auds is also our local St.Tweedle whisperer with fics like this one and also hold me closer. oh my GOD audrey's brain is so so big, i honestly have no idea how she comes up with all these incredible aus and fic ideas, such a cool human i love her &lt;3

Coops/ wolfstar

✩Christmas is home by ithilielthechosenone (T | 1.5K)

Remus gives him a mock shove with a shake of his head. “You are hopeless.” No, Sirius thinks. I was. I thought I had to be. I wrestled it down until I myself could no longer see it. You took my hand and gave it back to me. You all did. My hope lives within each and every smile of yours.

- Sirius and Remus enjoy the snow

Oh good gosh, oh jesus, oh boy, it's Ami's writing, my KRYPTONITE. The way Ami writes is like music. there's no other way I can think of to describe it. It flows so beautifully and the way her writing reads like lyrical prose and poetic storytelling has me weak in the knees EVERY single time. This fic was part of the SW discord winter fic exchange and it had me looking at my phone like 🥺🥰the whole time. Ami's writing is just INCREDIBLE and she blows me away with the way she words everytime she blesses us with her writing :)

✩First Burn by @fruitcoops

Okay folks, we've already established how much I ADORE Eve's writing but also oh my GOD I just had to bring up this au, which left me completely shooketh right from the moment the idea came up in the discord to the finished product of Eve's wonderful fic. I LOVE it so so much and I still reread it on a semi regular basis (but shhhh) bottom line, everyone needs to read this.

✩Washcloths and Wishes (A Sweater Weather Fanfic) by @veryspacecowboy (E | 1K)

oh goodness M's writing (and M themself) Is so flipping wonderful and this was one of her first fic's I've ever read (I think it might've actually been their first published fic I read) the way she writes is so flipping incredible and the way they weave all the character's stories together is so magical to witness, and to watch them do this wizardry on the discord (parkouring through allll the threads, so many of which are her brainchild because M is big brain and they are so so cool) has me making heart eyes at my phone/laptop. This fic is somft and also hot (which they are a MASTER at, the duality of M(tm)) and every SW fan HAS to read it, I promise you'll love it.

✩Sirius gets Re to communicate by the wonderful @tetedump/@arewelonely

LAUREL WRITING LAUREL WRITING OH MY LORDY. Laurel is such an incredible human oh my gosh my HEART!!! we haven't spoken very much but she's such a bright, kind, and comforting presence on the discord and I always have a little !!! moment when I see her in my notifications :')) This fic oh my GOSH this fic is EXACTLY what it says on the bottle, Sirius gets Re to communicate because he's a sexi sexi gentleman (Laurel's world not mine) She's such a lovely, caring human and honestly, you can really see that come through in her writing and it makes me so so 🥺🥹 I adore every single inch of it &lt;3

✩Neon moon podfic, written by @fruitcoops and read by @itsaash

So we all know that Ash is our resident podcast GOD, who's read and orchestrated the wonderful Sweater weather podfic along with a bunch of other noots (which everyone collectively lost their minds over) and also the podfic of the system which was originally written by @heyitssmiller (ahahahah triple noot whammy hehehe) but oh my GOSH Ash is so so cool, and such a delightful person to talk to and interact with, I adore her to bits, she's always so nice and kind whenever you interact with her and she's so wonderful about raising peeps up with her podfics, it makes me very very 🥺🥰

~

Thank you so so much to the lovely noots for putting all their wonderful works out there into the world and letting me rec their works in this silly little list :) I love you all so so so much, and AHHHH thank you so much!  Thank you, lovely reader for going through my first ever reclist! feel free to come yell about these lovely works with/at me, and you can send in your recs on the comments of this post, or my inbox!

Happy reading!

#the bedtime story project #noot special! #wolfstar #oknutzy #coops #lumosinlove ocs #sweater weather lumosinlove #coast to coast lumosinlove #AHHHHHHHH I LOVE THE NOOTS SO MUCH YALL THIS IS UNREAL #fries recs fics

[fruitcoops]

So I was just watching Matty Healy’s “celebrity school run” interview from BCC Radio One, and my mind jumped right to imagining Sirius with a couple awestruck hockey kids in the back of his truck, navigating questions as he drives them around (maybe to hockey practice instead of school??)! Congrats on finishing finals!! <3

Fic O'Ween Day 9: Sugar Rush! Cap credit to @lumosinlove and fest credit to @noots-fic-fests <3 Cutie patootie start to the weekend!

“Ask him!”

“I don’t wanna ask. You do it.”

“Everything alright back there?”

A small boy in a blue shirt dropped an elbow into the side of his, equally small yet significantly blonder, companion. “How does the internet work?” the blond boy blurted.

In the front seat, Sirius Black frowned at the road. “Quoi?”

“I told you it was a dumb question!” a redheaded little girl whispered across the seat.

“The internet,” the blond boy repeated, twisting the pocket of his cargo shorts into a nub in his fist. “How’s it work?”

“Uh…”

“My mom said the government tells you on your first adult birthday,” the dark-haired boy informed him as he leaned forward onto the console. “So you’ve gotta know, ‘cause you’re totally an adult.”

“Your mother is right, Ethan,” Sirius agreed. His eyes darted to the small camera stuck on the car’s dashboard. “That’s—yes, you’ll have to wait until you’re eighteen to find out. I can’t tell you. It would be illegal.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “But you’re Canadian, so American laws don’t apply to you.”

“It’s international.” Suburban homes rolled past outside, surrounded by fresh spring foliage. “The UN decided on that rule.”

“Aw, man.”

“Are you really getting married?” the redheaded girl piped up.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Summer.”

“But when?”

“Summer,” Sirius repeated with a laugh.

“What day?” She poked her head between the front seats as well, bumping shoulders with Ethan. “Can we come?”

“Definitely not. Both of you, sit back, you’re going to get hurt.” Sirius glanced into the rearview mirror as he turned onto another narrow street. “Look at Jacob. He’s doing it right.”

Jacob preened, shooting each of his companions a Cheshire grin. “Lydia said you’re getting married to your boyfriend. Is that true?”

“Fiance, but yes.” Sirius reached back to shoo Lydia and Ethan back into their seats, one hand on the wheel. “Why do you know so much about my wedding? Aren’t you supposed to ask me hockey questions?”

“We have time. School doesn’t start for an hour.” Lydia folded her hands in her lap and squinted to look out at the road. “Also, my sister plays hockey and she was telling me that her team was telling her that you're gonna be the first married hockey player ever.”

“That’s…that’s not true.”

“Of course it is.”

“There are so many married hockey players!” Sirius laughed.

“Oh yeah?” Jacob challenged. “Who?”

“James Potter, Pascal Dumais, Sergei Ivanov, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, Brad Marchand—I think most NHL players are married, actually.”

“Is the Earth actually round, or is the government lying?” Ethan asked, picking at the back of Sirius’ seat.

Sirius pressed his lips together for a moment. “Ah,” he began, coughing through a laugh. “Nope, it’s definitely round. People have known that for a long time.”

“My uncle says the government lies a lot.”

“Well, my uncle works for the government,” Jacob scoffed.

“Well—”

“Why is the Earth round?” Lydia butted in. “I think you’re lying. If it was round, everything in Australia would be upside down.”

“Oh god,” Sirius muttered. “Okay, new rule: no flat Earth discussions in the car.”

“Cause you’re lying?”

“Cause Galileo is spinning in his grave.”

“Isn’t that the bird from the movie with the girl and the volcano and the lizard and Russell Crowe and that one lady?”

Jacob gasped and turned to her. “My mom loves Russell Crowe! Y’know, Mr. Sirius Black, you kinda look like Russell Crowe.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“He kinda does,” Ethan admitted.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh—”

“Okay,” Sirius announced as he paused at a stoplight with a thousand-yard stare. “We’re not doing any ‘nuh-uh’s until you are safely at school. Do you act like this when your parents are driving?”

All three children stared at him from the backseat. For a singular second, their fidgeting paused. “Like what?” Lydia asked, clearly bewildered. “The lady with the camera told us to ask you questions.”

Sirius seemed to process that for a beat. His fingertips drummed on the steering wheel while they waited for the light to change. “I’m starting to realize I don’t spend enough time with kids to know how you’re supposed to act.”

“Isn’t your brother a million years younger than you?”

“Six years.”

Lydia gave him a skeptical look over her glasses. “I’m only eight, so that’s basically forever.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“How come clouds have different shapes?” Ethan asked. “Is it because birds fly through them and turn them all thin after they’re fluffy?”

“No, the wind does that.”

“Why?”

“It’s the wind, it doesn’t have reasons.”

“How do you know.”

“Because I’m an adult. Hey, look, a pigeon.”

All three children lunged toward the window, straining at their seatbelts and booster seats. Sirius glanced at the dashcam with a small, pleased smile and made a smooth left turn onto Main Street. “Where is it?” Jacob asked eagerly. “Was it big? What color was it? I don’t see it.”

“Oh, I think it was in the parking lot back there,” Sirius said casually. “Keep an eye out, see if there are more.”

“I’m never allowed to ask adults this many questions,” Lydia gushed, swinging her feet above the floor of the car. “Do you pay taxes?”

“Yes.”

“How do they work?”

“Good question. I have no idea.”

Ethan, apparently tired of pigeon-spotting, sat up straight and began peeling a sticker off the side of his booster. “Do you speak French?”

“Ouais.”

“Can you say something in French?”

“Ouais,” Sirius repeated with a grin.

“Please?”

“I just did.”

“Way,” Ethan mimicked. “Ha! That sounds like a duck. Wah-wah-wah-wah—”

“Yellow punch buggy.”

A flurry of movement and stifled ‘ow’s followed on swift wings; Sirius winced, but didn’t seem particularly regretful. “So,” he tried again. “What do you guys like to do at school?”

“Have lunch.”

“Read.”

“Recess.”

He nodded with a light laugh. “You know what, that’s fair.”

Jacob cocked his head to the side. “Did you like school?”

“I loved school.”

“What was your favorite subject?”

“Math.” A simultaneous false gag from three different mouths made him jump slightly, glancing over his shoulder. “Jesus—”

“I hate math,” Lydia declared. “We started multiplication and it makes my head hurt.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Ethan’s nose wrinkled. “I like math, but it’s definitely not my favorite. Hey, do you have tattoos?”

“No.”

“Can we see them?”

Sirius’ brow knit. “I just told you I don’t have any.”

“You’re a hockey player, you gotta have tattoos. Thomas Walker has them, Cole Reyes has them, James Potter has them…”

“James doesn’t have tattoos,” Sirius snorted. “Where are you getting your information?”

“My brother. He knows everything.”

“How old is he?”

“Eleven.”

Sirius nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek. “A wise age.”

“How many teeth are you missing?”

“None, dude,” Jacob interrupted. “Didn’t you see earlier? He has perfect teeth. Hey, Mr. Sirius Black, did you have braces?”

“No.”

“Your teeth just grew like that?”

“Mhmm.”

“I just lost a tooth last week.”

Sirius stopped at the corner, looking over his shoulder at them. “Oh, really? Your first?”

“Nah, my fifth,” Jacob answered, as jaded as a third-grader could get. “It’s boring now. I got a quarter for it, though. My sister wanted to tie it to a doorknob, but my dad didn’t let her.”

Lydia nodded solemnly. “My cousin lost her first tooth when a piñata hit her.”

“I lost mine while I was eating a tuna sandwich,” Ethan added. “Then it was a blood sandwich. It was crazy.”

“Gross,” Lydia said with great approval.

Apparently satisfied with the direction the conversation had gone, the car remained near-silent for almost fifteen seconds. They headed past several gas stations (and their pigeon-filled parking lots) before stopping once again at a red light.

Ethan let out a loud gasp. “Tim Hortons!”

Sirius turned as if on instinct, craning his neck, before he seemed to realize the danger of the situation. Lydia slapped at the back of the driver’s seat with an excited hand, bouncing in her booster. “We gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go.”

To his credit, Sirius spared a half-second to consider it. “Absolutely not.”

To his demise, Sirius spared a half-second to consider it. They fell on him like miniature wolves to a downed caribou.

“Please,” Ethan begged. “Please, please, their hot cocoa is so good, you don’t understand.”

“I’m Canadian, I understand better than you do.”

“Then we have to go!”

“There is no world where I get three kids on a Tim Horton’s sugar rush before school.” He shook his head and began turning off Main Street. “Not in this lifetime. Your teachers would hunt me for sport.”

“You’re Canadian! You’re—you’re Queb—” Ethan made a frustrated noise and turned to Jacob. “What’s the word for Quebec people?”

“…Canadians…?”

“Quebecois,” Sirius informed him. His eyes widened slightly. “Wow, is that the first question you’ve asked that I can actually answer?”

“You’re Quebecois,” Ethan continued, stumbling over each syllable. He made it there in the end, but not before everyone else in the car made a pained face. “That means you have to take us to Tim Horton’s.”

“No.”

Lydia’s eyes were fever-bright in the backseat, as if she had knocked back a handful of jellybeans and Red Bull. “Timmy’s, Timmy’s, Timmy’s…”

“Please, no.”

Jacob and Ethan brightened immediately, because of course they did. Sirius watched the road in mournful disbelief, like he was driving into his personal hell with no exit ramp in sight. “TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S—”

“I’ve never having children.”

“TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S—”

The shouting came to an abrupt halt. Sirius parked the car under the shade of a large oak tree and waited for several seconds, until all three kids started to exchange wary looks. The silence dragged on. Polyester and cotton rustled.

Sirius rested his elbow on the console and turned to the backseat, one eyebrow raised. “Are we done?”

“Are you gonna turn this car around?” Jacob whispered in quiet horror.

“Non. I have a deal for you, though.” Instant curiosity overcame their concern. Sirius held three fingers up. “One: don’t kick the back of my seat. Two: don’t yell in my car, it’s very distracting. Three: Count five pigeons by the time we get to school. I will ask your parents if I can bring you Timbits—”

Gasps of delight filled the car.

��—if you promise to do all three of those things.”

Jacob tucked his hands under his legs, all but vibrating with anticipation. “Can you get cinnamon ones?”

“Can you find five pigeons?”

“Of course I can,” he whispered.

Sirius nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Do you make a million bajillion dollars?” Lydia asked.

“Non. But I do have money for Timbits for nice kids who ask cool questions.”

Ethan’s mouth fell open. “We’re nice kids who ask cool questions!”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Sirius gave a teasing hum. “I don’t know. Think you can prove it in the next five minutes?”

“What kind of dog do you have?” Lydia asked without hesitation.

“Oh, that is a good question.” The car rumbled to life, and they pulled onto the road without issue. “I don’t know. She’s black, and she has pointy ears.”

“How long do you want to play hockey?”

“Oof. A while. Maybe ten more years? We’ll see.”

Ethan finished peeling the sticker off his booster seat and reached over Lydia to stick it on Jacob’s. “Is being an adult fun?”

“Yes.”

“Is it hard?”

“Yes.”

“If you could get in a time machine and be eight again, would you do it?”

“No.”

Jacob frowned. “How come?”

“Because I like being able to make my own dinner, I would miss my friends, and I wouldn’t be able to get Tim Horton’s whenever I want to.”

Lydia started to kick the back of his seat in boredom, but quickly tucked her foot behind her other leg. “If you were eight and went to our school, do you think we would be friends?”

Sirius smiled, moving slowly past a wire fence. “Sure.”

“Can you say more French stuff?”

“Comme quoi?”

“Um—can you say ‘hello’?”

“Bonjour.”

Jacob chewed on his lower lip. “Can you say…this school is super cool?”

“Cette école est très cool.”

“Is ‘cool’ the same in both?”

“Ouais.”

“Okay, stop, stop, you gotta do English now,” Ethan said hurriedly, waving his hands. “I don’t speak French.”

“That’s okay, you can learn,” Sirius laughed. They rolled to a stop in a mostly-empty section of the parking lot; he waved to someone outside, and the children quickly followed suit. He propped his arm on the console again and raised his eyebrows. “I think your parents are ready to have you back. Any last questions?”

“Do you like books?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“What kind of Timbits do you like?’

“Have you been playing hockey since before we were born?”

“How does electricity work?”

“Do you kiss your boyfriend? Oh, yeah, how do cars work?”

“How come the sky changes colors but the ocean doesn’t?”

Sirius didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, blue, all of them, yes, I think it’s something with electrons and metal? Yes, engines and combustion, and because the sky and the ocean are made of different things.”

“Okay,” Jacob said with a decisive nod. “Cool! Thanks!”

“Thank you, this was lots of fun.” Sirius unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car, then came around and opened the backseat door for them. They spilled out in a pile, each meeting his gentle fist-bump with incredible enthusiasm that only grew when he feigned injury at the strength of their hands. Their booster seats came free with little finagling. “Alright, go see your parents. I can carry these.”

“Wait!” Lydia yelped, turning on her heel halfway through a step. “What about the Timbits?”

“Nobody kicked my seat or yelled,” Sirius mused, gathering the boosters in his arms. “Pigeons?”

“Two on the sidewalk, one in the parking lot, and two at the Gas ‘n Sip,” Jacob announced.

“Then they’ll be here when you get out of school,” he promised. They shook on it, tiny hands dwarfed by his palm, before they were off at a sprint once more. “Be safe! Don’t trip on the concrete!”

#sirius black #ocs #sweater weather #vaincre #my fic #fanfic #lumosinlove #fluff #lion pride #celebrity school run #fic o’ween 2023

[itsaash]

unsatisfyingly satisfying part 2: shivers

Set sometime in the future when our beloved Coops are married and on vacation in Banff :))) prompt and cover art credit to @noots-fic-fests, character credit of Coops to @lumosinlove And shout out to @girlwithcurls96 for helping me and reassuring me about this whole story, and who is the type of friend when you say, "what kind of tattoos should this character have?" comes through with the perfect pinterest board of style inspo to create the OCs of my dreams

“You got the camera baby?” Remus called as he shut the trunk of the white rental car.

“Ouais, et j'ai les collations là.” 

Remus smiled as he translated in his head. Being in Banff National Park, or Parc national Banff as Sirius exclusively called it, with signs and boards and everything in French as well as English, had set Sirius into a firmly French state of mind. Remus was absolutely not complaining, the melodic sounds scratched his brain just right, even if he couldn’t replicate them. He just beeped the car, pocketed the keys, patted his pocket to feel his phone, and caught up to Sirius and took his hand as they walked across the parking lot. 

It was early in the morning, the gondola would be just starting up. They planned their visits to touristy places for the least busy time of day. A good half hour had been spent signing autographs at the Calgary airport when they arrived a few days ago. Canadians knew their hockey players, especially ones who would certainly be on the next Canadian Olympic hockey team. Neither of them minded , per se, but also if they could blend in, well they’d rather prefer that option. 

Typical outdoorsy MEC outfits like every other tourist were their outfits, with a pretty generic blue ball cap for Sirius, and Remus had chosen a fashionable flat brim hat after Sirius had gone silent and staring when Remus had tried it on in the store.  While any claim they had to disguise was low, their main hope was that most of the people who rode a gondola on a Thursday morning wouldn’t also be hockey fans. Banff had been great so far, busy streets of tourists to blend into while eating elephant ears, a hike yesterday to lakes the most fucking amazing color of turquoise where everyone nodded their head and said hello as they passed on the trail, and today they were heading up the gondola. It was a warm July day and Remus knew heat would start to gather soon, but it felt so fresh here in the mountains, always a breeze, really it was nearly idyllic. Even here, in a busy parking lot, dozens of cars already and pavement for hundreds of meters, it still somehow felt rustic. That was the influence of the towering rough mountains he supposed. They were everywhere here, he had never been in the mountains like this. He squeezed Sirius’ hand as they walked, his head turning to take it all in. 

“The view doesn’t get old, eh,” Sirius laughed as he took in Remus’ wide eyes. 

“Literally never. There’s just mountains everywhere .”

“And here we go, up another one,” Sirius said. 

“Can’t wait,” Remus said, squeezing Sirius’ hand with excitement again, taking in the grey of Sirius’ eyes and comparing it to the grey of the mountains. The mountains were undeniably majestic, but that blue grey gaze was still his overall first place favourite.

Remus scanned the tickets on his phone for the agent with the usual “bonjour, hello” passed between them and joined the small line of people waiting to board the gondolas. They wound through the roped off area, back and forth across the loading area as the line moved, reading the information placards as they went. Remus challenged himself to read the French versions and asked Sirius for help with some words, just to hear him say them, to see Sirius’ eyes smile when he heard Remus say the words back as best he could. They passed the time in the line quickly like this, passing words in French back and forth to each other quietly, almost like bubbles of love being traded between them, like emotional kisses, like whatever the sounds are that are in my mouth, they always mean I love you. 

Remus vaguely knew from the corners of his attention that the people who worked for the Park were working with the line, fitting groups together into gondolas in the most space efficient way, calling for single riders to come join groups of 3, putting two couples together, keeping kids with their parents. There was a large family ahead of them and Sirius and Remus had been half-hearing conversations about snacks and who would sit by who and where’s my water bottle and dad, what if we see a bear ?? So when the attendant called, ‘next group of two? Un groupe de deux?’ looks travelled down the family and passed like dominos to Sirius and Remus. 

“On est deux,” Sirius said, knowing everyone who worked for the Park spoke at least some French, and he was loving using it at every opportunity.

“Allez, on y va,” the attendant said, waving them over. Sirius and Remus kept their hands clasped as they snuck past the big family, Remus murmured an, “ope, sorry,” as they made their way to the front of the line. They boarded the open gondola, sitting down on one side together as the doors slid closed and the gondola started moving.

Remus was just starting to look out the floor to ceiling window, seeing the expanse of nature below them, all around them once they were past the loading area of the building, when he heard,

“Sirius Black?? ”

Oh shit. They were on a gondola with a fan. Well, hopefully a fan, god, imagine if it was someone who wanted to lecture them for the whole 8 minute ride. Sirius would give them his stony cold game face, and inevitably the person would back down, but it would be so awkward.

But Sirius hadn’t said anything. He was just staring, mouth slightly open. Time passed in frozen silence, enough time that Remus darted his eyes back and forth, from Sirius’ frozen form, to the two girls sitting across from them. One had a ball cap on with a dark ponytail floating out the back of it and her tank top showed clearly well developed biceps and deltoids, hiking shorts and shoes. She  was nearly as slack jawed as Sirius. The other girl was much more fashionable, in pants that were somehow loose but still fitted, and a cropped shirt (sports bra? what did Remus know about women’s fashion), clean white runners, long curly blond hair pulled into a messy half bun. It was still Banff and hiking appropriate except everything about her outfit and hair seemed to be on purpose in a way that none of the rest of them could claim. She seemed to be trying to read the situation as much as Remus was, and after long seconds she was the one to break the silence. 

“Rebecca? You know him?” 

The other girl, Rebecca? Almost literally shook herself out of her surprise and laughed, a smile coming over her face. 

“Oh my god, what are the fucking chances? Yeah, well, I mean, Sirius and I, well, yeah, we’ve met.”

Remus felt his eyebrows raise at her faltering tone and he looked to Sirius who didn’t seem ready to say words of any language yet. So Remus spoke first. 

“Oh, well hello. I’m Remus. It’s nice to meet you,” and he put his hand out to Rebecca to shake. She smiled more, her eyes taking him in and she took his hand. 

“Hi Remus, I’m Rebecca. Nice to meet you. This is my girlfriend Claire,” she said, gesturing at the well dressed girl. “We’re just touring the area, on vacation, I guess you must be too. It is the offseason I guess? I can’t believe we’re on the same gondola as you, what even is this.”

Remus felt himself relax, girlfriend, ok so they weren’t in for an 8 minute lecture. That was something at least. He turned to Claire and shook her hand too. His eyes travelled up and down her tattooed arms, all thin lines and curling shapes. He especially noticed a beautiful one of a star surrounded by a circle on the inside of her elbow, but the whole thing was made of flowers and vines in light colours.

“Nice to meet you too Claire. Are y’all hockey fans then?” he asked, glancing repeatedly at Sirius, who was still seemingly frozen. He pressed his palm against Sirius’ thigh, hoping to ground him with touch. Feeling more than a little bit like he needed that too.

Claire laughed, a high, bright sound. 

“No, I can’t say I am. Is that how you know him, sweetheart?” Claire asked her girlfriend. 

“I, um, well yeah, kind of. We met at a media weekend where they were doing stories on a bunch of athletes for a magazine,” Rebecca explained, her gaze bounced between Sirius, Remus, her girlfriend, back to Sirius.

Remus nodded. Well that made sense. What didn’t make sense was that Sirius hadn’t said a single fucking word. He turned toward him, angling his body towards his husband so he could mouth as much as say, ‘ça va, baby?’ 

Sirius started bobbing his head. Remus saw him take two purposeful breaths, close his eyes for a long moment, and then open them again with his media smile on.

“Désolé, sorry, sorry Rebeccca. You just surprised me,” he took off his hat, ran his hands through his hair and replaced the hat. “Wow, yeah, it’s good to see you. Like you said, what are the chances?” 

“What media thing was it that you did?” Remus asked lightly, hoping to soften whatever the fuck this atmosphere was. 

“That one in New York that Pots and I went to? During your third season with the team, I think?” Sirius said. He looked deep into Remus’ eyes and took and squeezed his hand. Remus didn’t know why Sirius needed comfort, but he clearly did. So he scooted as close to Sirius as he could on the bench, held his hand, and tried to send comfort like osmosis. It seemed Sirius may have received the offering because he seemed to relax a degree or two. 

“Rebecca was on the olympic rugby team that got a medal at that olympics a few years ago,” Sirius supplied, gesturing to her. “Or maybe you still play?”

“Yeah, I do actually!” she replied. “I’m not a starter anymore, but I still have one more Olympics in me. The team has been doing so awesome, it’s been such an sweet ride.”

“Oh wow, that's amazing!” Remus said, meaning it, and hoping to take the conversation in safer territory. “Are you on a break from training right now? Being a tourist for a bit?”

“Yeah! It’s so beautiful out here. And it’s nice to have time to take in the sights. We travel for matches all the time, but it’s never very long in one place. We played a match near here last season, and it was so beautiful I knew I needed to bring Claire back here.” She smiled at her girlfriend and took her hand. 

“So you’re a hockey player?” Claire asked Sirius. He smiled a small smile and nodded, maybe started to say more while gripping Remus’ hand, but Claire continued, “that’s nice, but you two obviously slept together, right?” she said, gesturing between Rebecca and Sirius.

Rebecca just laughed, Sirius’ mouth dropped open, and Remus startled like he’d been shocked.

“That’s what this weird vibe is?!” he asked Sirius, half laughing, half horrified. “Oh my god, well, I get it now.”

Sirius dropped his head into both his hands, shaking his head, and then his shoulders were shaking, until his whole body was quivering with laughter. 

“Mon dieu, sorry, Rebecca… Re, I’m sorry.” Laughter bubbled out of him.  “I don’t know why I locked up, I got thrown back in time there for a minute, in my head. I’m ok now, sorry. Rebecca, it really is good to see you, I just was so surprised.”

Remus just shook his head. He’d be pretty shocked in the same situation too. The air already felt clearer, Sirius’ laughter had dissipated most of the awkwardness. 

“So you’re bi too then?” Rebecca asked. “Or pan maybe? I saw you two in the news of course, oh god I didn’t mean to bring that up, I just mean, obviously you’re married now! Congratulations,” she seemed to force herself to stop talking and Remus laughed. 

“Yeah, we got married last summer, it was amazing.”

Sirius smiled at him, the smile they always had when they thought about the lake house and their friends and family and the perfect haze of happy memories that surrounded that day. Sirius took a deep breath and turned to Rebecca.

“Yeah! But, um, no. Uh, I’m actually gay. That’s probably why I froze up there for a minute. But if you’re queer too that makes me feel a lot better, I think I panicked for a second that there would be flirting? Sorry, sorry.” he said, looking back and forth between both Rebecca and Claire.

Claire laughed, “Oh there could still be flirting, I’m afraid. You’re just her type in guys. I’m gay too, but my sweetheart here had a later in life bi awakening, much to my benefit.” She got closer and closer to Rebecca’s neck as she said this, and ended with a soft kiss to her jaw. Rebecca smiled a soft smile at her girlfriend, but then turned to Sirius, more serious. 

“Wow, so, um, that night must have been hard for you then? I feel like I should apologise. I think I kissed you first that night.”

Sirius shrugged his shoulders like his shirt was too tight, and Remus studied his reaction, taking his hand in both of his now, and drew circles in Sirius’ palm with his thumb. Sirius rubbed the back of his head with his other hand before answering. 

“No, please don’t apologise. You couldn’t know, I didn’t know. Well I knew, but I didn’t know . It’s not like you were the only girl I was with. I thought I just had to meet the right girl. And actually you helped with that, because you were so amazing. Beautiful, and fun to be around, and athletic and funny. And it was still… fine.” Rebecca laughed and faked hitting her heart with her fist like a stab. “No, I don’t mean it was bad! It was fine! Shit I keep saying fine… it was…” Sirius trailed off, looking to Remus, clearly now developing an aversion to the word fine. 

“Sirius, Sirius, it’s ok. I get it. The comphet comes for us all, doesn’t it?” Rebecca said. She started off half laughing, but her voice was full of authenticity by the end of her sentence. 

Remus kept running his thumb over Sirius’ palm in soothing circles, and Claire lifted her arm up to trace the edge of the window, and then put it around Rebecca’s shoulders, hugging her close. 

In the moment of silence that followed, the gondola slowly swung to stop. They all looked around, looking down at the magnificent view really for the first time since they got on the thing. 

“Huh, they must be stopping it to help someone on or off, I guess,” Remus said. A shiver had come over him as they swung to a stop, but it passed. The others nodded in acknowledgment as they swayed gently. 

“You were my last,” Sirius said into the silence. “My last time with … with a woman.” Remus raised his eyebrows at Sirius. “Well, I kissed other girls after that, only in public, but I knew after that night with you that I wanted to be with guys. Even if I didn’t let myself actually do that for a long time yet, at least I knew.” He paused. “Sorry,” he said again.

Rebecca laughed. “Honestly Black, it really is ok, stop apologising. I’m a little surprised, for sure, because for me it was really good. Like, really good. Like I-never-found-a-guy-as-good-again good, despite giving it an honest try. Had to fully just move onto women, good. So I might be questioning my perception of reality a little bit over here, but you don’t have anything to apologise for.” 

Remus was processing, hardly believing the turn this gondola ride had taken, but had to smile at that.

“He is pretty good, isn’t he?” Remus said, gazing up at Sirius with mischief in his eyes. “From our very first time, he knew what he was doing. Fuckin knocked my socks off,” Remus laughed. Rebecca joined him and Sirius buried his head in his hands again.

“Right?! His hands –”

“God, tell me about it. And his back?”

“Divine,” Rebecca sighed, tone half teasing and half serious. “And just his size, you know, when he’s on top, fully covering you?”

Remus faked a swoon, back of his hand to his forehead. “It’s amazing. Might be my favourite place in the world to be.” Sirius sat up and smacked Remus’ shoulder. “Re! Stop it,” he laughed.

“Did you get to experience his mouth?” Remus asked, leaning forwards to Rebecca. “Or how his eyes get so intense it’s like they glow?”

“Remus!”

Rebecca sighed dramatically. “I didn’t experience his mouth unfortunately. And I think he must be the only man in history to have turned down a blow job! It was mostly hands and some lovely dirty talk and … well, you know.”

“Oh the French dirty talk,'' Remus fawned, fanning himself with his hand, smiling evilly at Sirius. “It’s so hot.”

Rebecca faked a dramatic gasp. “Is this why you wanted me on my hands and knees??” she asked, gesturing dramatically to Remus. “So you could pretend I was him!?” The words might be accusatory, but the tone was pure glee. “Did you know him then?” she asked Remus. 

Sirius moaned into his hands and ground out what might have sounded like kill me now. 

“I just knew him as the hockey obsessed, tough as nails, never an emotion to be seen hockey captain back then. And I saw him make out with multiple girls at bars after that, so he clearly wasn’t ready for me yet back then,” Remus teased. 

Claire and Rebecca both nodded. “We all have to make our journeys of self discovery in our own time, don’t we,” Claire said. 

“That we do,” Remus said, letting the last of his laughter bubble out of him. They all took in a minute of happy silence, admiring the view. Even Sirius cautiously poked an eye out of the safety of his hands and looked past Remus to see towering snow capped mountains which they were almost eye level with up this high, this ground was really quite far away. Deep green trees transitioned into bright green grass in places, the buildings of the town looked like dots from here, and the fluffy white clouds seemed much closer than he had ever experienced before. 

The peace of the mountains seemed to sweep into the softly swinging gondola and Rebecca turned back to Sirius, still snuggled into Claire’s side. 

“I am sorry though, that society or whatever made you think you had to sleep with me. I’m sorry if I played a part in that,” she said. 

Sirius wasn’t frozen like the snow tipped mountains now, he tried to let his words flow like the breeze instead.

“I appreciate that, Rebecca, I do. But I could’ve said no, and I knew that. I went upstairs with you because I thought I should want to, but I was so deep in the shoulds, that in a roundabout way I did want to. And I’m honestly so glad you thought it was good, that’s like all I cared about.” “I never would’ve known you weren’t into it Sirius, really, it was good.” Sirius rolled his head on his neck, looking sheepish but happy. 

“It’s not that I didn’t think it was good. It did feel good, you’re amazing. I just was also really busy, in my mind. My thoughts were just going in bad circles with pressure and doing the right thing and what you might tell your friends and what I’d tell my teammates … so of course it was harder for me to just enjoy it. But like I said, you were the last time I did that, so I’m also really thankful for that, and for you. If you couldn’t be the right one, I knew there was no point in trying anymore.” He switched his gaze to Remus and his grin turned dopey, “until this one told me he was gay, and that I’d be worth it.”

Remus squeezed his hand. “You are worth it. Every day.” 

“If I may,” Claire said, “it sounds to me like you’re both right. You’re right, my love, to feel a bit weird about learning the guy you slept with doesn’t actually like sleeping with women. But it’s also ok that you still enjoyed it, because you’re always allowed to have your own version of a situation, based solely on your own experience of it. And he was actively trying to have you enjoy it, for different reasons than you thought. There’s no way you could have known his every inner thought.” Rebecca smiled and rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. 

“And you Sirius,” she continued, “it could be interpreted as misleading to have gone upstairs with her, but Rebecca and I, as women who love women, know the strength and seeping nature of comphet, as I’m sure you do too, as a man in a traditional masculine field. It gets into your bones and bosses you around and ties your thoughts up in knots. I’m really glad you freed yourself from expectations to let yourself live. I can tell the two of you are really good together,” she smiled. 

Remus nodded his head along with her and kept drawing calming circles with his thumb around Sirius’ palm. 

“Merci, Claire,” Sirius smiled, “and for what it’s worth, Rebecca, I’m sorry for putting you in that situation.”

“Forgiven, Sirius Black. And thank you for ruining me for other men, so that I could find this goddess,” she leaned up to kiss Claire on the lips, deep and sensual. Sirius thought that looked like a really great idea, and leaned in to Remus. 

“Ça va bien, baby?” Remus repeated, their lips close, breathing each other in and out. He had been pressed up against Sirius’ side this whole conversation, clutching his hand. And now they blocked out the mountains, the uncomfortable seat, the shining sun, and only focused in on each other. 

“Oui. Je vais bien. Etonné. But … also good. Glad to have you, like always.”

“I’ll never be anywhere else, mon mari,” Remus murmured as he leaned in to kiss Sirius. Lost in their kiss, they didn’t notice that Rebecca and Claire were watching them with soft smiles on their faces, Rebecca’s head still against Claire’s shoulder. Claire twirled her hand around and then threaded her fingers through Rebecca’s ponytail, smiling. 

The gondola started moving again, startling Sirius and Remus apart with a smile. They squeezed each other’s hands with a shiver, they both had goosebumps from a brief chill. They all rode the last few minutes how they all had thought their whole ride would go. They pointed out the tallest trees, saw shapes in the clouds, basked in the chance to be so high up and see the world from such a different perspective. Funny how that makes a difference for so many things. 

They all saw the loading area approach, and stayed quiet while they slowed to a stop and the doors opened. They filed out into the visitors center. When they rounded the corner and were away from most other people, Rebecca folded herself into Sirius for a hug, squeezing him, her cheek pressed into his chest. He rested the side of his head against her and held her for a long moment. 

“Despite the shock, it really was good to see you, Sirius. And super good to get to clear the air with you about our night together. I, selfishly, hope you don’t regret it, but it’s ok if you do. I’m still happy to know you. Maybe you can actually text me back now that there’s no big secret swirling over you, eh?” she swatted him in the stomach at the last, and he dodged with an oof and a laugh. 

“Rebecca, honestly, I’m really glad to have run into you like this. Sorry if I was weird. I don’t regret it, how can I, when it was a stop on the path to me finding my husband?”

Rebecca turned and gave Remus a hug too. “Sorry for having your husband before you,” she teased. Remus huffed a laugh, and hugged her back. 

“Good to meet you Rebecca. I’ll forgive you, I suppose .” he joked. “Since I’m the one he’s going home with, I can’t complain.”

“Nope, you have absolutely nothing to complain about, I would know,” Rebecca teased as she took Claire’s hand again. “And I have this goddess now anyways. Bye, guys, take care!” she said as they started to turn away down the boardwalk.

“Enjoy your vacation!” Claire said with a wave, and Remus and Sirius waved as well, standing with their arms around each other’s backs. When they were a good way down the boardwalk Sirius turned and collapsed into Remus’ arms. They stood there amidst the beauty of the mountains. Tourists walked past and around them, taking pictures. They stood long enough for clouds to form and reform shapes, until Sirius could huff out a laugh. “What the actual fuck are the chances.”

“Of you stepping into a 6 foot square enclosed space with the last woman you had sex with? Really, really, really low I’d imagine. Even if we changed the odds to include all the women in general who have seen you naked, the number still has to be…” Remus trailed off as Sirius stood up and pushed him away, grumbling and laughing. 

“Stop teasing me, mon loup, this was traumatising ,” Sirius pouted. 

“Oh baby, I know, I know, come here,” Remus laughed, and gathered Sirius in tight for one more hug. “Let’s look around? And then we can walk down? So we don’t accidentally get trapped with the next least likely person in the fucking world? I can’t quite imagine who that could be at this point, but we’re probably safer on a hiking trail.”

“Let’s get trapped with your college boyfriend, and I’ll make comments about your mouth, tabarnak , that was embarrassing,” Sirius laughed under his breath as he turned to take in the view. 

“I was trying to cut the tension!”

“I’ll cut your tension,” Sirius muttered back.

“Can’t wait, baby,” Remus said with a suggestive eyebrow waggle. Sirius rolled his eyes, and then they did enjoy the view, thoroughly. And they took the hiking trail back down the mountain. 

#characters by lumosinlove #when you write OCs and then want to be best friends with them #fic-o-ween 2023 #sweater weather #coops #sirius/remus #conversations in confined spaces #did you catch what the shivers were? #PLEASE feel free to message me and correct my french

[livingforcoopsandoknutzy]

So my boyfriend and I came out to my my team years ago and they supported. There was a new guy who is very homophobic and made comments about my relationship and I was wondering if you could write something like that but obviously you don't have to I was just wondering.NO PRESSURE. Seriously you don't have to write it

hey babes! first of all i just wanted to say sorry for that prick there's always gotta be someone who can't let others enjoy their happiness but i hope things are better now or getting there. there was so stress or anything i promise so don't worry at all. <3

trigger warnings: homophobia / cursing

Sirius and Remus had been out for a year when they got a new teammate on the Gryffindor Lions. Normally this would be no problem, new teammates were typically nervous and quiet at first so they could watch the team and try to see where they fit best.

But Beau was different. He was brash, sarcastic, and all around rude. He would make rude remarks constantly and it caused immediate tension in the locker room.

It only took a week before it reached a breaking point. Thomas was the first to say something.

Sirius and Remus had just walked in, smiles on both of their faces as Remus leaned closer to hear something Sirius was saying. Thomas smiled at them before turning when he felt something bump his arm to see his new teammate smirking at him. "How often do you get annoyed with them? I feel like it's barely been a week and I'm already tired of their PDA." Beau scoffed like he'd said something funny.

Everyone within hearing distance went quiet.

"What did you just say?" Thomas said. His face having quickly lost all warmth. Beau scoffed. "You can't tell me you are actually comfortable with that in the locker room? They're in here while you're changing. I know your team gets a lot of publicity and you have to act like it's fine but we're teammates now. You don't have to pretend off camera."

Thomas was about three seconds away from decking him. He straightened and glared down at their new teammate. "I'm giving you three seconds to take that right the fuck back."

Beau laughed before looking at the guys around them. They had drawn the attention of Dumo, Winter, and Knut who were all staring at Beau with varying expressions of anger.

Beau laughter died off and a confused look fell over his face.

Dumo spoke up, his voice calm but his face giving away how upset he was. "I don't know where you got that idea but on this team we love and support each other no matter what. You need to either accept that or think about talking to your management about switching teams."

Remus appeared next to Leo with a falsely cheerful smile. "What are we talking about?" Sirius was standing next to him, his face set into his interview face. Cold and shut off. There was a bigger group now. Logan and Finn were standing next to Dumo.

Beau looked around at their faces anxiously, shifting his weight from side to side. "It- I was just-" Leo cut him off, his voice seemingly kind to everyone who didn't know him.

"He was just learning some ground rules for being on the team." Remus nodded and looked around the team. "Okay, well I think that's enough ground rules for the day, as long as the newbie understood them?"

The entire team turned their heads toward Beau who had long ago averted his eyes to the floor. He remained silent.

Sirius stepped up, "Was that understood?" Beau jolted slightly, obviously having not expected Sirius to talk to him. "Yes, captain."

Sirius nodded and cracked a false smile. "Good. Now, everyone better be on the ice in five minutes." As soon as the words came out of his mouth everyone started dispersing. Talker still glaring daggers and Logan mumbling angrily under his breath. Dumo watched Beau scamper off before turning to the boys. "If anything like that happens again you tell me, alright?" Remus nodded gratefully.

Sirius and Remus hung back until the locker room was more or less deserted. Remus walked up to Sirius until he was close enough to rest their foreheads together. "You okay?" He asked quietly.

Sirius let out a small huff before closing his eyes and leaning a bit more into Remus. "Fucking homophobes." Remus stuttered out an unexpected laugh and leaned down to kiss Sirius gently.

"Fucking homophobes."

#coops #remus x sirius #sirius black #remus lupin #oc #leo knut #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #lumosinlove #o'knutzy #sweater weather #tw: homophobia #cw: homophobia #tw: cursing #cw: cursing #i hope i did that justice #love you tons <3

[moonybeam3]

And if I said this was Leo Knut then what?

#sweater Weather #Leo Knut #LumosInLove OC #LumosInLove

[imsiriuslyreading]

(some of) my top favourite wolfstar fics

Alright listen. This list is subject to change (by change i mean grow). I've already forgotten to add about 7 that I can think of, but in the meantime. here are some of my absolute favourite wolfstar fanfics ever in life. ENJOY, if you ever wanna chat about them hit me up because I live for this sh*t.

Okay i'm gonna do a part 2 aslkdjalskdjalskdjalkdjs there's too many

All The Young Dudes, mskingbean89 https://archiveofourown.org/works/10057010/chapters/22409387M: THE FIC OF ALL FICS. This is possibly the best thing I've ever read. Grant Chapman is the love of my life I shant hear a word against him.

Blends, rvltn909 https://archiveofourown.org/works/7869079?view_full_work=true M: The banter in this is next level. the dialogue. SIRIUS BLOODY BLACK. This is why my relationship ended i swear to god, if it's not this i don't wannit

Sweater Weather, lumosinlove https://archiveofourown.org/works/20750912?view_full_work=true E: The ultimate comfort reread. I adore the side characters in this, James potter is SENSATIONAL. I love love love it. OH THERES SO MUCH FRENCH

Dear Your Holiness, mollymarymarie https://archiveofourown.org/works/35105491?view_full_work=true E: FATHER BLOODY LUPIN I AM ON MY KN..nvm. Anyway. The texting? the tension? oh holy god forgive me for the sins i have sinned

The Cadence of Part Time Poets, Motswolo https://archiveofourown.org/works/30652973/chapters/7562717M: I cannot tell you how much i love this. the writing is sensational, the characterisations, the OC's. I am so BESOTTED WITH THIS STORY. its such ATYD vibes but muggle. I haven't even finished and its gone straight to my top 3 ever in life

Honey if I'm not, BrigidFaye https://archiveofourown.org/works/35165827/chapters/87616873M: Part 1 - REMUS POV It's so beautiful. its the healing we all deserve, the healing THEY DESERVE. in my head? canon. I am forever besotted.

If You're Gonna, BrigidFaye https://archiveofourown.org/works/40008948/chapters/100193058 M: Part 2 - SIRIUS POV. This one might even be better than part 1. sirius pov is stunning. plus a lil spicy spice. Its just such a gorgeous read.

Currents, lunchbucket https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109890?view_full_work=true E: Olympic swimmers? golden boy remus? THE DOG? HOZIERRRR? Yes

Liebestrum, lunchbucket https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891189?view_full_work=true E: The most beautifully written love story. It's stunning from start to finish. I want to climb sirius black.

The Road Not Taken, mollymarymarie https://archiveofourown.org/works/32734837?view_full_work=true#main E: Such a good comfort read; 2nd chances, private concerts and lusty chocolates.

Ever Thus, WrappedUp https://archiveofourown.org/works/22331551?view_full_work=true E: I adore this. Their connection is beautiful. So blooooody well written. The love and care within this are just next level.

Just What the doctor ordered, WrappedUp https://archiveofourown.org/works/26677921?view_full_work=true E: This is soooo witty! I adored it. Sirius inner monologue is bloooody hilarious, honest and RAW. adore this one.

wading in waist-high water, colgatebluemintygel https://archiveofourown.org/works/36896740?view_full_work=true E: This is so sweet! Utterly a delicious read. Basically no angst, just happy vibes.

10 Reasons to go to Michigan, greyeyedmonster18 https://archiveofourown.org/works/35820094/chapters/89320903 M: The most lovely Sirius. Him & Harry dynamic is perfect. Teenage hilarious Harry. Grumpy Remus. Artsy Sirius

Not another band AU, thelovelyzee https://archiveofourown.org/works/34565698?view_full_work=true E: I LOVE THIS. The playlist is UNREAL. It was SUCH A JOURNEY. I never wanted it to end. Bought so many concert tickets after this.

A Black Mass Over Highway Ninety, Greenvlvetcouch https://archiveofourown.org/works/43038561/chapters/108147531 E: This changed my life. THIS CHANGED MY LIFE. the playlist. the love. the friendship. the side jily. the SMUT. oh my god. the most gorgeously written masterpiece i've CLAPPED EYES ON. i want to inject it into my EYEBALLS.

Solntse, lumosinlove https://archiveofourown.org/works/17186087?view_full_work=true E: Okay. it's giving pretty woman. but like, in a good way, i promise. the best way. like i adore sirius in this so much. so so so so much. its a beautiful little story - look out for the pet names muahahaha

#wolfstar #wolfstar fic recs #remus lupin #is the love of my life #the marauders #muggle au #wolfstar list #sirius black in blends is my man #also in solntse #and also in 10 reasons #babe #remus lupin in black mass changed me chemically we don't need to talk about it #babybird me #liebestraum #liebestraum doesn't get enough love its one of the best things I've ever read actually #lanas list #lanas crying again

[cailynwrites]

Harry Potter Rec Fest Day 13 - Over 100K

I so appreciate the dedication that it takes for someone to write over 100K words; I think even my M.A. thesis topped out at 30K (with much academic padding). I've read a ton of long fics so there's probably some recency bias here for @hprecfest day 13, but I've also tried to share a couple different pairings ...

Blood Magic (Podfic) written and read by houseofthehebrideanblcks and thestralsofspinnersend Pairing: Draco x Harry Word count: 334,676 Length: 33:05:11 Rating: E

@thistlecatfics already said all the things about this fic in their recommendation for the podfic the other day, and said it in a much lovelier and more eloquent way than I ever could. I guess I came at it from a different perspective though - as someone who is very lucky to feel not too traumatized by life or struggling with addiction or mental health (not a brag, just context), I got to see inside the brains of people like that and feel great empathy for them. Isn't that what art should do - put you in the shoes of different people and make you see the world differently? This is a slow, beautiful story of down-and-out Draco AND Harry heading toward something like peace and love, but it's a long road to get there. Also featuring endlessly patient counselor Luna, supportive Ron & Hermione, and lots of magical creatures.

The podfic is also really well done. The authors recorded it as a podcast originally. If the 33 hour single file on InternetArchive isn't really your speed, you can get the podcast version here, which includes their commentary after each chapter. Maybe not for everyone, but I found it interesting as a companion piece to hear their writing process and talk about trauma, treatment, and recovery in their own lives.

Choice and Chance by @chaoticcrumpets (Podfic by @etl-echo-audiobooks) Pairing: Draco x Hermione Word count: 116,972 Length: almost 10 hours Rating: M

This fic is so interesting. I had gotten a little burned out on Dramione before listening to this fic and this fully resparked my interest. I don't want to give too much away, but it's a mystery, a time travel adventure, and a romance. All the characterizations are very real, even though there might be more than one characterization of some of the characters. Can I use character more times in one sentence? Ah, and the twist at the end!!! *Chef's kiss*

Sweater Weather written by @lumosinlove (Podfic by @itsaash & cast) Pairing: Wolfstar, other adorable OC pairings and more! Word count: 156,108 Length: 15:23:00 Rating: E

I didn't think a hockey AU would be for me, even though I kinda like hockey. I was tempted by the prospect of Everyone Lives (TM) and I'm so grateful for it. This fic is beautiful, the development of all the characters, both canon and original, is incredible. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I sighed, and when I was done, I wanted to start reading it all over again. At the time, it was newly finished and a sequel was on the way. I've been waiting for a nice vacation or sick day to reread it and its sequel, Vaincre. @lumosinlove has created a wonderful world and I just want to see the characters play around in it forever. I haven't listened to the podfic, but I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot!

************************************************************************

This one barely counts as a self-rec because I'm really just gushing about the author ...

Way Down We Go by @xiaq Podfic read by Cailynwrites (with @etl-echo-audiobooks) with beautiful album art by @abrilas-art Pairing: Draco x Harry Word count: 109,767 Length: 13 hours Rating: T

If you had asked me the ratings of my two out of three of my favorite novel-length Drarry fics yesterday, I wouldn't have thought the answer would be T, but apparently it is. This story, along with Away Childish Things, rewired my brain. I love the pace, I love the development of both boys' characters, I love the ancillary characters both old and new. It's just a perfectly told story. Although I should be encouraging you to go listen to my podfic on AO3 or Spotify, I can definitely also recommend the reading experience. Don't skip the adorable author's notes containing the adventures of the author's dog and grad school woes (relatable).

If you want to get a taste for the podfic before diving in, try this snippet or this one.

#hprecfest2023 #hp podfic #drarry #wolfstar #marauders #sweater weather #dramione #harry potter #draco malfoy #hermione granger #remus lupin #sirius black

[weeklyreadings]

Week 49

Dear Your Holiness by @mollymarymarie

Rated E. 142k. Wolfstar

During the week of his father's funeral, Sirius Black meets an unusual priest and offers to help write Orion Black's eulogy. At the same time, he's started texting a mysterious bass player from a pop-punk band that he accidentally swapped phones with. Eventually, the conversations between the two start to blur together and Sirius has trouble trying to decide which one he's falling for the hardest.

Step & Repeat by @theresthesnitch

Rated M. 63k. Wolfstar

Step & Repeat:

1. A banner with a repeating motif or picture that is used as a backdrop for pictures, like for a red carpet.

2. The act of actually falling in love with your celebrity best friend while being his fake boyfriend on said red carpet while the whole world thinks you’re already in love. Or, at least, that’s how it happened to Remus.

Sweater Weather by @lumosinlove

Rated E. 156k. Woflstar

Remus works for the Gryffindor Lions as a physical trainer, and has been half in love with Sirius Black, the Lions' heartthrob captain, for a while now, but he never expected Sirius to return the feelings. Read if you like cute nicknames, slow burn, and pining. Yep. That's it.

Coast To Coast by @lumosinlove

Rated E. 59k.

This is a spin off series of some of my OCs from my wolfstar fic Sweater Weather. They're fairly separate stories. This won't exactly be updated like a fic, more like little snippets of various stages of their relationships.

#fic recs #fanfic #hp fanfic #wolfstar #ao3fic #drarry #wolfstar fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #drarry fanfiction #drarry fic

[odetothestars]

Harvard Finnlo song? Maybe perhaps?

The vibes just remind me of them when I hear it idky

(OCs by @lumosinlove ❤️)

#lumosinlove sweater weather #vaincre lumosinlove #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #finnlo #Spotify

[lumosinlove]

April Part One

cw: brief mention of past abuse & anxiety

~

I wish that when I said your name you would appear

Sitting next to me

~

The Rangers were already in the playoffs, clinched and waiting to see who they’d face-off against first. It had always made Sirius a little antsy but also a little pleased when they played a team that was already in position. They would be hard to predict. While the Lions fought for their spot—win this game, and they’d be headed towards what would hopefully be another short summer—the Rangers would either be taking it easy, hoping not to have any injuries, or they’d be so high on the thrill that they’d come out harder than ever. Sirius didn’t understand why people bet on hockey. It was a hard game to predict. So much of its balance and beauty sourced straight from the players themselves, energy flowed through from one man to the next. Sirius knew well what sort of toll a break in that system could take.

Now though, Sirius simply dipped around Finn’s stretched wide arms and shot the basketball straight into the hoop.

“Fucking Christ,” Finn panted, cheeks bright pink as he leaned his hands on his knees. “Whatever, man.”

Kota laughed, retrieving the ball and tossing it between his palms. “Your brother’s better than you at this, Harzy, I gotta say.”

Finn pointed at him while Kasey let out a loud laugh. “Don’t ever say that.”

“Oh, man,” Kasey said through his laugh. “I gotta call him right fucking now.”

For a moment, Sirius thought Finn was going to throw Kasey’s phone across the court.

Hannah laughed, too, lifting them hem of her shirt to wipe at her sweat. “If you ever want to rile Finn up bring Alex into the competition. That’s for sure.”

Sirius held his hands out for the ball and grinned. “For sure.”

It was nice, keeping this game running. Sirius found that it got him out of his head, out of the house, and forced him not to spend all of his free time with Remus—something he tended to gravitate towards. Remus would go out with Lily, or Leo and Thomas, and Sirius would text the basketball group chat and throw on his shoes. He loved hockey, and he knew Remus loved him, but even he could admit that he got to be a little much whenever playoffs were potentially coming into the picture. Remus would let him babble, but kiss him on the cheek and ease him in a different direction. Sirius had never had anyone so gentle before, not including Pascal probably.

Still. Sometimes he couldn’t help it.

“So, I’ve been thinking about what we know about Logan,” he began, and he was met by groans—the loudest from Finn.

“I’m not dissecting Logan’s game with you.”

“He’s the opponent now!” Sirius said. “It’s not personal.”

“I’m not saying it is,” Finn flashed his hands for the ball. “I’m just under strict orders from Remus to get you to relax.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Non.”

Finn arched his brows. “Wanna see the text?”

Sirius waved him off. “We have a good opportunity here.”

Finn made a basket. “Nope.”

Sirius’ eyes moved to Kota. “D’accord, fine, let’s talk more about Alex.”

Finn dropped his head back. “This is supposed to be a fun game of funball.”

Hannah snorted. “Funball does not sound like something you do in public.”

“Oh, just play already,” Finn said, though he still seemed out of breath. “I swear to God, if Leo was here we’d have all your asses beat already.”

Sirius watched the garage door close behind him as the car chirped and locked. He inhaled and let out the breath before pushing through the side door, just off the kitchen. He still had moments to marvel at the fact that it actually felt like the kitchen. His kitchen. Their kitchen, the two of them. He could smell something Remus was cooking, or maybe it was takeout, he didn’t care, but Remus was there, inside, waiting for him.

“How was everyone?” Remus asked when Sirius let the door slam behind him. He was at the stove, cooking. There was the iPad beside him, and a game was running—no, not a game. Tape. Remus was cooking dinner and watching game tape at the same time. Sirius was honestly a little turned on.

“Good,” Sirius smiled, coming up behind Remus and settling his hands on his hips. “They told me I needed to relax.” Sirius nosed against his neck, pressing a light kiss there. “But I’m not the one watching tape right now…”

Remus smiled and licked a bit of sauce from his thumb. “Well. We all have our moments. We’re very close to the playoffs, aren’t we?”

“One game away, actually.” Sirius pressed Remus tighter to him.

“I had twenty bucks with Kasey that you tried to talk Logan’s game with Finn.” Remus tapped the spoon against the pot before settling it in the rest. “I’m a rich man.”

Sirius laughed. “True, but it’s not from Kasey’s twenty bucks. Hey.”

Remus tilted his head back against Sirius’ shoulder. “What?”

Sirius pressed a thumb to Remus’ jaw, running it gently along the edge until he reached his bottom lip. “You okay?”

Remus tapped the spoon again. “Of course I am, why?” 

He applied gentle pressure until Remus’ head turned and Sirius could kiss him, once again gently, but this time on the lips. “Je t’aime.”

Remus hummed happily. “Fiancé.”

Sirius pressed his mouth against Remus’ cheek. “Husband.”

“Not yet,” Remus laughed.

“Soon. Let’s go right now. Marry me.”

Remus turned in his arms, pressed his hands to Sirius’ cheeks. “My mother would kill me.”

“We’ll have another wedding. We’ll have ten, if you want.”

Remus just stood there, smiling at him, for a long moment. Sirius leaned into his touch, his fingers that had begun gently combing back his hair. Remus pressed a feather-light kiss to his mouth. “A wedding is a celebration. A piece of paper. A law.” He brushed their noses together. “You’re already mine in far more ways than that. So, I don’t need ten weddings.” Remus pressed a harder kiss and laughed. “I need you to taste this sauce and then take me to bed.”

“Oh? Yes, Captain.”

Remus laughed and slapped his chest. “Shut up.”

They ate at the kitchen island counter, iPad between them and shoulders brushing.

“This feels so weird and wrong,” Remus sighed as they watched yet another clip of Logan, clad in blue.

“I know,” Sirius said. “But this is such a big game for us. It could give us the edge we need. Besides, if it makes it better, the Rangers are already in the playoffs. We’re not taking anything away from them and Logan besides a few points that they don’t even need.”

“I know. God, I know, you’re right. But at one point we’ll have to, if we want this. What time’s our flight on Tuesday?”

“Very early. We get into NYC at, like, six in the morning.”

Remus rubbed his eyes. “God. All right.”

Sirius pressed a kiss to his temple. “Sleep on my shoulder the whole way there, mon loup.”

Remus just leaned into him, but his eyes were still on Logan, frozen on their screen. Alex was in the frame, too, behind him, waiting for a pass.

“Gonna be weird for Finn.”

Sirius bit his lip, nodding. “Ouais.”

~

Logan couldn’t deny that he was counting down the minutes. He knew that the Lions’ plane would be taking off sometime in the early hours of the following morning. Finn had sent him a very chaotic video of him packing his suitcase that consisted of seemingly random clothes being thrown past the camera and into the bag while he shouted “don’t care just coming to see BABY,” while Leo, on the other side of the bed, tossed his own clothes in as if he were shooting baskets on a court. It hadn’t helped how restless he felt. All he wanted was to see them again, and the weeks that had passed had been the slowest of his life. They’d called, FaceTimed, but it wasn’t the same.

“Anyway,” he heard Saint say, and the noises of the Rangers’ locker room faded back into his ears. Tape being ripped off of shins, the clatter of sticks being put back on the rack. “They’re basically about these kids, stuck on this island, looking for a treasure that went down with this ship. Some shady stuff goes on with the parents, people knocking each other around for it. It’s a good couple books, haven’t read the third yet though, it’s not out yet.”

Something about that made Logan look up. Island. Shipwreck. 

“The Crucio series?” Logan asked. “The books?”

“Yeah,” Saint nodded from where he was stripping in his stall, then paused in surprise and looked him up and down. “Why, you’ve read them? I’ve never seen you with a book in your hand, Tremblay.”

“Oh. Non, I…” Logan swallowed. He’d almost just explained that no, it wasn’t him, but Finn. Instead, he realized that this moment could mean more, that it was an opportunity. It would be a bit awkward now, the conversation had begun to move on he’d been silent for so long, but he sat back against his stall and spoke through a dry mouth. “Non, but my—boyfriend loves them.”

He didn’t really look at anyone when he said it, but in the brief silence that followed, he forced himself to look up. He caught Saint’s expression first. After all, the reply had been for him. Saint had perhaps paused for a moment, but if he had, Logan hadn’t looked up in time to see it. Saint just nodded with a thumbs up and continued explaining the book’s plot to Luke—who was definitely staring at Logan.

In the end, it was Percy who spoke to Logan first.

“Who…Finn?” It was a small check, a just-making-sure-I’ve-got-this-right. His light eyes were wide, and Will, too, was staring, lips parted around what Logan thought might be a faint smile.

“Ouais,” Logan said, and suppressed a shiver, warm all over. “Finn.”

Percy grinned wide. “God, yes.” He laughed. He and Will shared a look. “I mean, oh, yeah, he never shuts up about books he loves.”

“Sat in OKN’s living room for hours. What was that one series? With the—I don’t know, the zombies? I think he read those, what,” Will shrugged. “How many times do you think?”

Logan knew. “Five.” One of them had been aloud to Logan during that first summer together.

Finally, there was Alex. He didn’t quite look at Logan, but put a hand on his shoulder as he got up, faced ducked low and out of view, and went into the hallway. Logan wasn’t perfectly sure it was an invitation to follow him, but he did anyway. He was flooded with an overwhelming urge to thank Alex, for everything. He’d been a sinking stone more than once in his presence, Finn, too, and Alex had kept them afloat each time.

He turned into the hallway and was hit in the chest by tight arms around him, slapping him on the back.

Alex’s hug was hard and his voice was hoarse. “I can’t say—I’m so—fuck, glad you two pulled through. Jesus—” He laughed breathlessly in Logan’s ear. “That was really hard to watch for a while there.”

Logan wasn’t sure what to say, a lump in his throat, so he tried to think of what Finn would have said. He returned Alex’s hug slowly, then tightly. “Tell me about it.”

Two more pairs of hands appeared on his shoulders.

“Finally.” Will was grinning.

“Finally is right,” Percy said from his other side. “Come on, we’re going for a beer. Yes, right now. Okay, fine, not right now, but we deserve it, okay? You do, we wondered if you were ever going to tell us. Tried to tell you you could, but, y’know. You stubborn fuck. But, really, about Bambi—fucking finally.”

Will slapped Logan’s chest. “Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for this? And then the hockey gods bring us back together and we get to be there for it? Fuck yes.”

“You knew?” Logan said. “You knew. How?”

“Come on, man.” Will shook his head and looked at Percy, putting on a bad imitation of Logan’s accent. “Finn, do you want to, ah—um, hm, study together on the bus? And by study I mean practically spoon?”

Logan covered his face as Alex laughed and joined in.

“Oh yeah, Logan, Tremzy, do you—will you come spend the entire summer with me and sleep in my bedroom on the “floor” instead of the guest room?”

“Should we get breakfast together every day and not invite anyone else?” Percy said.

Will grinned. “Oh, totally, and let’s sneak up to the roof later?”

Before Logan knew it he was laughing, hard. He covered his eyes. “D’accord, stop, stop. Oh my God.”

“And, and of course they way he came charging back into the house looking for you that last time. ‘Course, you had already gone fucking tearing out of OKN after he left.” Percy whistled. “Hard to misunderstand that one.”

Logan smile dropped slowly. Almost like whiplash. He stared between Will and Percy, who was slowly seeming to realize what he’d said. Alex, too, looked stricken.

Percy swallowed. “Not—Fuck. Sorry. That was—like, a hard time for you and—and I’m gonna shut up now.”

“You didn’t…” Will began carefully, shifting on his feet a bit. “You didn’t know he came back for you, huh?”

Percy sighed when Logan shook his head. “Same old Finn and Logan.”

“Quoi?”

“Your love is fucking loud, man,” Percy said. “Always has been. You just weren’t listening to each other.”

Logan smiled, but what Percy had just said was playing over and over again in his mind at full volume. He came back for you he came back for you.

Logan remembered running out of the house. He tried not to remember.

“Like I said,” Percy tapped their temples together. “Same old Finn and Logan.”

“Hm,” Logan said. “Actually, not quite.”

“Oh, no?”

Alex grinned knowingly and Logan smiled back, shoving Percy and Will back towards their locker room doors.

“You know Leo Knut?”

~

The Gryffindor Lions have made quite the comeback this season. I really don’t think any knowledgable sports fan would have given them a flying chance after the way their year started. Not to mention, with the loss of top forward Logan Tremblay, the months really only got worse for Lions fans. But here they are, led once again into playoff position by Captain Sirius Black. We’ll see where tonight takes us, see if the Lions can pull through against the Rangers.

Sirius admired the ring while Remus was sleeping sometimes. It could cast small multicolored shadows against their headboard, or even Remus’ neck and jaw when his hand was resting on his softly rising and falling chest. Their alarm was set to go off any minute—up at 3:30 for a horribly early flight to New York. Something in him always woke up before alarms. His mind somehow knew it was time, flooding itself with thoughts. Sebastian Montague’s save average, needing Evgeni to go up against Luke Deveaux, Alex O’Hara, not so much like Finn’s playing style, Logan there, favored slap-shots, he would shoot from the blue line, always had—

“Hm,” Remus sighed sleepily as the phone began to ding softly.

Sirius put a hand over his bare chest, rubbing softly until Remus opened his eyes and looked at where Sirius was propped on his elbow, gazing down at him.

“How long have you been awake? No, wait, let me try and guess.”

“Not too long. I just want to get on this plane already, I guess.” He traced a finger down Remus’ chest. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Mm-hm. C’mere.” Remus rolled until he could push Sirius back into the bed and pillows with his weight. He leaned in for a kiss.

“We have to go.”

“Not yet we don’t. I set it a bit early.”

“Quoi?” Sirius asked into his kiss, then watched as Remus pressed his mouth to his chest, then his stomach. “Why? 3:30 wasn’t early enough for you?”

Remus just grinned up at him from where he was kissing his hip, hand easing over Sirius’ half-hard cock. “Needed some time for pre-game rituals.”

Sirius let his head drop back into the pillows.

The airport was quiet and sleepy. Sirius looked around at his team, draped over chairs, Leo with his eyes closed and his head on Finn’s shoulder while Finn, mouth dipped against Leo’s hair, read softly to him from a book. Sirius smiled at the sight. The Cubs had told the team about their approach to going public—and it wasn’t much of an approach at all, not a planned one, at least. The only decision they were making was to hide nothing. None of them would have sat the way Leo and Finn were sitting then, not before. Sirius was happy for them—whatever happened tonight, at least that weight was off of their shoulders—but as he watched Finn pause to press a kiss to Leo’s head, he couldn’t help the old spike of fear, the urge to look around. He knew that he and Remus both still caught themselves doing that sometimes. He didn’t know if he had it in him to do it for the Cubs, too. Someone was going to take a picture sooner or later, he’d said that to Finn, who had only shrugged. So will we. He hoped to God it was as easy as that for them. It deserved to be that easy.

“Here, Cap.”

Sirius looked up to see Thomas holding out his coffee order.

“Merci, T.”

Thomas smiled and nodded at Leo and Finn. “What I wouldn’t do to be in Leo’s position right now.”

“Oh? Didn’t know you liked Finn that much.”

Thomas laughed and sat beside him in the leather gate chairs. “I just mean, you know, with the love of your life. Well, one of them, I guess, speaking as Harzy. Like, I think we can agree they’re soulmates. Jesus Christ.”

“Miss Noelle, huh?”

“Yeah,” Thomas sighed, long and drawn-out. “It’s a weird feeling, you know? Hoping for short summers but wanting to spend time with all the people you love, too.”

Sirius nodded, but he was also silently counting himself lucky. Besides Regulus, who came home on weekends sometimes, he had everyone he cared about right here with him, every single day. He hadn’t thought about that before. He looked to Kasey, who was forced to miss Alex and sometimes Natalie. Finn and Leo, who now would always have some part of themselves waiting to see Logan again. Remus, who loved his parents and his brother, and only got to see them ever so often. Did Pascal wish he had more time to be a father to his children? Probably.

“Cap?” Thomas asked tentatively.

Sirius looked at him. “Oh. Sorry. Sorry, just…that must be so hard. Especially—I mean I am thinking about it a lot this season. We all are.” He glanced at Remus, who was sitting with Layla and Lars, no doubt talking about Layla’s latest test in her PT program. “I don’t know what I would do. Really, I don’t.”

Thomas’ brown eyes went far away as he nodded, but he seemed to realize this and spared Sirius one of his contagious smiles as he took a sip of his coffee. “On a happier note…” He spread his hands, eyebrows raised expectantly. “Wedding plans? C’mon, man, keep me in the loop.”

Sirius laughed. “When would any of us have time to make wedding plans?”

“Center ice wedding? Everyone’s in skates?”

“Jesus Christ, no.”

“You sure?”

“No,” Sirius laughed. “I mean yes, ouais, I’m so sure.”

“Someone could skate down the—”

“Non.”

“Hey guys. That one mine?” Cole sat down on the other side of Sirius.

“What’s up, rookie, here’s your sugar-milk, oh, I’m sorry, I mean frapa-whatever.” Thomas said. “Hey.” He leaned in, knowing look on his face. “Your girl’s staring again.”

Cole groaned, but he was smiling, pressing a hand up to half cover his face. “T, she’s not my girl.”

“Not yet. Y’all are in it to win it. I see it, baby. I can feel it.”

Sirius frowned. “I’m missing something.”

Cole just narrowed his eyes at Thomas and took a conveniently long drink of his coffee.

“Oh,” Sirius said. “Is this about you and Layla?”

Thomas threw his head back and laughed. “See? Even the oblivious Captain Black is aware!”

“Shh.” Cole did look interested, though. “I don’t—we’re not…like, nothing’s happened. It’s probably not even allowed anyway. A PT and a player?”

Sirius blew out a breath, bringing his cup to his lips. “Deja vu.”

“What? Oh. Sorry.”

Sirius shook his head. “Non, it’s fine. Well…do you want something to happen?”

Cole just looked at him.

Thomas snorted. “This is his ‘I’m talking to Sirius Black about my love life’ face.”

Cole threw the cardboard heat-guard around his coffee at him which Thomas caught and put on his Sirius’ head like a crown. Sirius batted it away.

“Boarding, boys,” one of the assistant coaches called, clapping his hands to wake the dosing players. Olli blinked awake like he had been sleeping for years. Leo pried his eyes open across the way and Finn gave his nose a pinch with a laugh.

“Oh, saved by the bell,” Thomas said.

“Shh,” Cole said. “I’m watching you.”

Thomas lowered his voice into a stage-whispered. “Drink your sugar-milk and ask her out.”

“She babysits for Dumo’s kids,” Cole whispered. “If she said no that would be—” Cole made a pained face. “Awkward.”

“Do you prefer awkwardness or regret?”

Cole huffed. “Thomas.”

Sirius couldn’t help but laugh as he stood up. “Boarding, boys. Boarding.”

Even as he walked away he heard a final murmured, “Sugar-milk,” and then a, “Bean water.”

The wired type of exhaustion hit Sirius halfway through the short flight, which wasn’t great because it meant by the time he thought he could have napped, they were getting off the plane. The hotel was nice at least, and Sirius could feel the team’s energy. Maybe it was partly getting to go up against Logan. No doubt, no matter how painful it was, Logan would be filled with the same type of adrenaline.

He and Remus didn’t talk a lot as they threw their bags down at the hotel door. Remus just stretched and then wrapped an arm around Sirius’ waist, pressing up to kiss his cheek.

“Gonna nap,” he said.

“Ouais,” Sirius nodded. “Might get something from the buffet downstairs, then I’ll join you?” He pressed a quick kiss to Remus’ mouth and made sure he had his key card. “I’ll try not to wake you when I come back in.”

“Hey, wait.” Remus wrapped Sirius’ hands up in his own. “Don’t just sit down there and worry. You’ll have all of our tape session for that. All of morning skate, and warm-up, too. Just…”

Sirius smiled and took Remus’ face between his hands. “You know…you’ve been pretty focused on me.”

“So? You’re my fiancé.”

“So, it’s one of your tells.”

Remus made a face, fingers ruffling gently through the hair at the back of Sirius’ neck. “What tell?”

“When you’re worried. You focus on everyone else.” Remus’ smile faltered and Sirius leaned down to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “It’s why you’re so loved, it’s why you’re an amazing PT, but it’s also something I know about you as the person who, in my opinion…loves you the most.”

Remus was quiet for a long moment, fingers still twisting through Sirius’ hair, then carding it back at his temples. Sirius let him sit with it. He just watched those golden eyes flit between worry and something else, something that he wasn’t saying, as he watched Sirius’ dark strands slip through his fingers.

“What happens if we don’t win tonight?” Remus finally said.

“Then we don’t win.” Sirius swallowed. “Then we finish the season and we have a very long summer.”

“Don’t say that like you’re okay with it. Not for my sake.”

“Re…”

“Don’t—” Remus closed his eyes, let one of his cheeks fall heavier into Sirius’ palm. “Don’t say my name like that, baby.”

“Loup,” Sirius said, but let Remus pull away. “Mon Loup…”

“No, I’m fine.”

“The beginning of the season, you weren’t playing well. Now you’re playing better but you feel like its not enough.”

Remus just looked back at him, as if he were trying to figure out how Sirius already knew. He sat down heavily on the bed, hands going behind him, holding him up. He tilted his head to look up at Sirius, eyes sad.

“You think I don’t know?” Sirius went down on one knee in front of Remus, hands smoothing comfortingly over his knees. “It used to be all I thought. Every second of every day. Doesn’t help that that’s the only question we ever get asked, either.”

Remus groaned and dropped onto his back, bouncing slightly against the mattress. “Fuck.”

The word came out tight with tears, and Sirius just rested his cheek against Remus’ thigh. “What can I do. Hm, baby?”

“I don’t know,” Remus sighed, wiping at his eyes. “Fuck, I don’t know. I’m—I am fine, really. I think it’s like—Logan, too, like it’s just weird and—I forgot what it was like playing against friends. I’m always so focused on Grayback, like, like the—the enemy, you know? And Alex is wonderful, but I don’t mind beating him. I just—it’s Logan, but it’s—me.” He looked down at Sirius. “It’s stupid.”

“Non,” Sirius said, and rose, laying down beside him. “Non, it isn’t.”

“I focus on beating, only now I just want to—win.” He looked at Sirius. “But I’ve already won, look at me. Look what I have? It feels like jinxing to even get that greedy, even if I know that’s what we’re supposed to want. A—you-know-what. S-T-A-N-L-E-Y.”

Sirius couldn’t help but smile. “Sometimes I forget how superstitious you are.”

“Ugh.”

“Pretty sure you’re worse than me.”

Remus laughed a little, too. “It’s exhausting.”

“That’s because us two, we’re not just tying our shoes in a certain order. Look at Thomas. His routines come from time. He puts his right glove on first, he can’t buckle his helmet until the first face off, because he’s been doing that since he was in a child, or in minors.” Sirius leaned in, letting Remus nestle against his arm. “You and I? Non, mon loup, we’re trying to do so much more than that. My routines came from desperation. That’s what Heather taught me. When I was young and I got something wrong, I didn’t get a nice toasted sandwich and a good try.” Sirius tried not to let his eyes go far away, tried to keep the feeling that something was coming towards him, a hand, just out of the corner of his eye, tried not to turn his head and flinch. He just kept his eyes on Remus. “Non. That’s not what I got.”

Remus reached up to lay a hand on Sirius’ cheek, because of course. Of course he could tell. He smoothed it over the hair behind Sirius’ ear as if saying nothing’s there. It’s just me. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. He knew Sirius didn’t like to talk about it. “Is that why you make your honey and toast?”

Sirius pressed a gentle kiss to the sad look on Remus’ face. “There was this kid I used to play with—and I was always in the age group above me, ouais? I was just as good—better, even—but everyone was bigger. And not very nice.” He smiled. “I don’t think you appreciate getting your shots stolen by a seven year old when you’re nine or ten.”

Remus shook his heads. “Kids can be cruel.”

“Ouais,” Sirius said. “But so can adults. There was this one kid, though, named Théo, and sometimes he would give me half of his sandwich. Oh, Loup, it was…” Sirius closed his eyes. “C’est parfait. Perfect, Remus. It was so simple looking back on it now, but do you think my mother was sending me to practice with a perfect, crunchy, sweet sandwich? Non. Protein, Sirius, protein.”

A softer smile had come across Remus face. “Honey. Théo had your sandwich?”

“I have Théo’s.”

“You started making them yourself.”

“When I got out of the house, ouais. No one else was going to. Well—Celeste started making them for me. Don’t think I ever told you how I cried the first time she did. Freaked Adele out. But nothing will ever taste as good as Théo’s when I was seven.”

“What happened to him?”

Sirius sighed. “He…well, he plays in Vegas.”

Remus blinked, then his eyes widened. “Théo as in Théo Angevine?”

“As you would say—yep.”

Remus pushed himself up on an elbow. “Does he know?”

Sirius shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s never given any—hm, sign? Sign that he remembers.”

“Huh,” Remus let himself fall back onto the bed. “Well, I don’t think he’d forget playing with Sirius Black. Haven’t you talked?”

“We saw each other at the award ceremonies my first year, when I got the Calder. But I wasn’t exactly friendly then, was I?”

Remus made a non-committal noise and pulled Sirius closer to him.

“What I was trying to say about me and you,” Sirius said, letting Remus hitch a leg over his hip. He smoothed a palm over the soft material of Remus’ sweatpants, pulled tight around his muscles. “Is that…we’re not the same, our reasons for being the way we are are different, but similar for you, non? Who more than you would want a little bit of control right now?”

“I know but, I just…I thought I had learned to let some of it go,” Remus said. “After my shoulder. Anything can happen and there’s nothing I can do to change that. But…but now I find myself doing all my old little anxious tricks. Just not stepping on some part of the fucking floor and it’s just…”

“I know,” Sirius sighed, and let Remus groan and bury his face in his neck for a moment. “I understand…Re, you were thrown back into a world you never expected to see again.”

“Yeah,” Remus huffed and it was warm against Sirius’ skin. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Sirius bit his lip against a smile after letting them be quiet for a moment, rubbing Remus’ back. “You know what clears my head sometimes?”

Remus pulled back and arched a brow at the daring expression on Sirius’ face. “No…what?”

“Do you want…a pre-game ritual?”

Remus laughed. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

“Ouais.” Sirius smoothed his hand down Remus’ side. “Really. What can I do, tell me?”

Remus thought for a moment. “If you need food, go, but…maybe we can nap together? I know we usually sleep apart before games, but I kind of just need to…snuggle.”

Sirius just pressed a kiss to his mouth and arranged Remus the way he knew he liked best for a nap—Sirius spooning up against his back.

“I want you more than five Cups,” Sirius whispered against the back of Remus’ neck when his arms were locked firmly around his waist.

“Baby, I love you. But not everyone on the team feels that way. Nor should they. This means a lot to them. To you, too. To me. I just…I don’t know. People still see me as some weird…outlier. Anomaly. I know that.”

“Maybe you have to stop seeing yourself like that.”

Remus only let out a long sigh and pushed harder into Sirius’ chest. “Yeah.”

Sirius pressed a kiss to his shoulder where he knew part of his scar ended. “Rest, mon coeur. Rest.”

~

Logan checked his phone again and leaned against the wall of the coffee shop he was standing in front of. He knew Gryffindor had made its way to New York early this morning, but he also knew that Finn would be on his way, no matter how tired he was, because Logan had told him to come. He’d planned it. He wanted time with Finn over breakfast, Leo over lunch, both of them at dinner—no matter what happened during the game. It felt right this way.

Suddenly there were hands over his eyes and a voice in his ear, lips brushing his skin.

“Hey, is that star New York Rangers winger Logan Tremblay, can I get an autograph, do you think?”

Logan smiled, almost turned and kissed him right then. “Hm, maybe. But you’ll have to follow him first.”

Finn laughed, dropping his hand to rub gently up and down Logan’s back—a gesture that was all Leo, Logan recognized. He looked up at the coffee shop Logan was standing in front of and made a face. “Look, I love you, but I can get us way better breakfast than this. Like, you should’ve let me take you down to the Village, baby, let me get you something sweet.”

“We’re not getting breakfast,” Logan said. “Not right now at least. After, we’ll get breakfast. Before morning skate.”

Finn looked down at him. He had that purple under his eyes. That damned, gorgeous purple. He was tired from traveling, but Logan was excited to remind him that he and Leo wouldn’t be in the hotel tonight. They’d be with him in his apartment. It could wait, though. This first.

“Okay…” Finn said slowly. “After what? What are we doing here?”

Logan smiled because his plan had worked, and nodded across the street. There, standing tall with its great stone lions and broad stone steps, was the New York Public Library. Finn wouldn’t have looked twice at it, too used to its presence. It had hidden itself in plain sight.

“We’re going to the library,” Logan said as nonchalantly as he could, working on not letting himself smile too much and put his hands in his pockets.

And then, Finn knew. He didn’t try to hide any part of his slow, realizing smile.

“Allez,” Logan said, and headed for the crosswalk.

“Okay,” Finn said softly, and followed him.

They made their way up the steps slowly, taking their time.

“Are you sleeping better now?” Finn asked, and there was a slight tremor in his voice. He was still grinning.

“Sort of,” Logan shrugged. “You? Leo?”

“Sort of. Miss you, though.” There was his hand on Logan’s back again, warm between his shoulder blades, like he just couldn’t quite help himself, but also like he wasn’t sure how far he could go. Logan reached up and stroked his knuckles briefly across his jaw, just to show him it was okay, before they reached the revolving library door. In the reflection of the glass, Logan saw Finn softly smile to himself and touch the spot where Logan’s fingers had been.

Logan found them a table. The chairs weren’t the same, of course, none of it was like it had been at Harvard, but they sat across from each other anyway, just as they always had, and it didn’t take long for them to break into laughter. Finn muffled his with his hands, steepled fingers, brown eyes bright as they darted over Logan’s face.

Logan crossed his arms on the table, leaning in. The ceilings were high, and the other seats were more than half full, people reading, or working with headphones on. Discussing quietly, turning pages, going about their lives.

“Just another first for us, huh?” Finn asked, and mirrored Logan’s position.

They’d sat like this a million times. Logan used to eye Finn’s fingers, always fiddling with something. Now, it was the strings of his sweatshirt. Long, capable fingers, red at the knuckles, nothing like Logan’s. Back then, Logan hadn’t let himself get too close to thinking about taking those hands in his, but the urge flooded him now—and so he did.

“You’re always warm,” Finn smiled down at their hands, eyes looking a little clouded—happy. “Good blood circulation and all that, or whatever. Le’s always cold, you know? Just makes you want to wrap him up.”

“You, too.” Logan held Finn’s fingers between his own.

Finn just smiled. “Nah, you’re just warm. And now you’re getting all quiet on me, making me nervous.”

Logan laughed. “Nervous to kiss me?”

Finn smiled, ducking his head a little, only then his eyebrows pinched together after a moment, and he gave a single, tiny nod.

Logan couldn’t hide how surprised he was. He leaned forward a little more, trying to catch Finn’s eyes again. “Harzy?”

“Not because I don’t want to,” Finn said quietly. “Just—because part of me thought you’d never want to.” His eyes flit up to the ceiling, around the library. “Not here anyway. Not like this.”

Logan kind of hated the word never. Maybe it was only because he had felt it for so long. He knew Finn was right. He hadn’t given any sign until recently that he’d wanted this. He hadn’t been ready, sure, but he hadn’t exactly joined Finn and Leo’s conversations about it. Every time they had brought it up, he’d been right back there at the airport, seeing those invasive pictures of Remus and Sirius. Why had it taken distance for him to want to be close to them like this? Something in him ached because of that.

“I love you, Lo.” Finn said, then too a breath, like the next words took courage. He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to Logan’s knuckles. “I love everything you are. But you have a habit of backing out on me sometimes.”

Logan closed his eyes for a moment as the words settled over him, but nodded. “I know.”

“I’m not angry,” Finn smiled a little. “I just…I can’t believe we’re here. I can’t believe you…”

“I know,” Logan said. “I—Finn. I know you—you came back for me. When you first left for Gryff.”

Finn’s fingers tightened around his. “You…Did Percy…”

“Ouais. He did, and…” Logan swallowed hard. Words came slowly to him, but, God, at least they came now. And he had Finn’s brown eyes to ease himself into. “This might sound strange, but…thank you. Thank you for coming back for me.” He watched Finn’s eyes fill with tears, watched them glance away, shying away from the memory. “Mon rouge, even if I didn’t know it, and when I didn’t act like anything you did or said would ever make any difference, it did. It all did, and you help me—break the habit. Break into my self. The person I want to be. With Leo and you.”

Logan looked at the necklace around Finn’s neck, his necklace, and the shadows beneath his eyes and the hopeful tilt of his chin.

“I want to kiss you now,” Logan whispered, almost harshly. He moved his hand to Finn’s wrist, thumb over his pulse point. “I want you.”

Finn just closed his eyes, but he was smiling, a pleased quirk of one corner of his mouth. Logan leaned in until their foreheads brushed.

“Tell me that this is okay,” Logan said, because, after that, he needed to hear it.

Finn looked at him. He had tears in his eyes, and he shook his head softly. “Logan. Come here.”

The kiss was gentle. The man sitting a table over turned a page. Someone answered a phone that had been ringing. Logan reached up to cradle Finn’s cheek, ran his thumb over the lilac, delicate skin beneath his eyes, over the high of his cheekbone, and tilted his head to kiss him again.

When they did part, they stayed leaning on their elbows, close.

“Maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t kiss back then,” Finn said quietly and took a curl of Logan’s hair between his fingers, then brushed a thumb over Logan’s full bottom lip. “Not sure I would have ever gotten any homework done.”

Logan smiled. “I would rather kiss you than graduate.”

“Well, that’s kind of my point, Tremblay.”

Logan pushed lightly on the side of the head, mussing his hair more than anything, and Finn just took the new angle it provided and ducked into another kiss, more needy, tongue slipping into Logan’s mouth. Logan felt his cheeks warm, the sheer want he’d been trying to keep in check since parting with them surging to the surface.

“Hm,” Logan laughed as they parted. “We’re in public, O’Hara.”

“Oh, are we?” His next kiss was even dirtier, and Logan just sighed happily and sank into it.

“Hey,” Finn said as they were walking back down the library steps. They were close, edging on touching. “About the voicemail…”

“I deleted it.” Logan looked up at him. “I didn’t listen. You asked me not to.”

Finn blinked. “Oh.”

“But—I’m listening now. Okay? If you ever…” Logan sighed and pressed a kiss to Finn’s shoulder over his jacket, the closest thing in reach.

“Man. You fucking romantic,” Finn laughed, pushing a hand through his hair. “What you got planned for Le?”

“Not telling. I’ll see him this afternoon, after our morning skate and our tape session.”

Finn nodded, still grinning widely. “Fine, fine. God, I can’t wait for tonight.”

Logan groaned. “Don’t talk about it. Time isn’t moving fast enough.”

“Oh, yeah?” Finn threw an arm around Logan’s shoulder. He’d done that a million times, but this felt different. Especially when he leaned in close and let his mouth brush Logan’s jaw as he lowered his voice. “What do you want me and Leo to do to you tonight, baby? What have you been thinkin’ about, huh?”

Logan turned his head up to glare at Finn, their noses brushing. “Shh.”

“One way to make me shh.”

Logan pushed up on his toes to kiss him. He half missed because they were walking, but Finn’s smile was worth it, so was the kiss he pressed to Logan’s cheek.

“This feels good,” he sighed. “This feels so good. Can’t wait for Le, too.”

Logan tilted his head to rest against Finn’s chest. “Ouais. Me too.”

“Cab?” Finn asked, but he looked like he already knew the answer.

“Non, not yet,” Logan said. He reached up and pressed his palm to Finn’s where it dangled over his shoulder. Finn smiled as their fingers laced, as if they’d been meant to do that, waiting, always. The sun, peaking out from a long winter, was warm, and he caught snatches of conversation of the people passing them by. “Let’s walk a bit first.”

~

“Hey, baby. Just checking in before the game. How are you? You’re probably at morning skate right now, but…yeah! Okay, good luck, you’re gonna crush it—but if you don’t you can come here and crush me, if you want, baby cakes. I’m, like, half kidding. Okay, bye, love you, bye!”

Thomas snorted out a laugh as the message played in his ears, Noelle’s familiar voice. He knew she was stuck at home with a shoulder injury and he could hear the sounds of her stand mixer in the background, along with the television. God, she was probably in those tiny cotton shorts, that hugged her thighs like nothing Thomas had ever seen. Thomas wanted to run his hands down her shoulders, feel the dip of her muscles, the way she liked, move her dark hair to one side and kiss her neck, right near where her fleur-de-lis tattoo was by her ear.

He typed out a quick text: I love you x 3(thousand).

“Okay,” Remus said as he fell down beside him on the exercise matt. “Here’s what I’m thinking for Logan—actually, first, do not tell Sirius we’re having this conversation.”

Thomas snorted as he clicked his phone off. “I was about to say.”

“He think I’m—well, I am in my own head, but we cuddled, I feel better, but also, game time. So.”

Remus began outlining a play, drawing invisible lines around an invisible rink on the matt between them. Thomas was happy to see him like this—it was a big improvement from the beginning of the season—but he was really only half listening. He was mad at himself for it, they needed this game, everything was on the line, but this longing was new.

He hadn’t been in such a serious relationship during his career. There had been other girls, yeah, but none of them called him to wish him luck. They didn’t talk him through making his favorite post-game meal over the phone, even when they were exhausted themselves. Their bodies didn’t sit perfectly between his hands, he would never have done absolutely anything to see them let go completely, and fall apart into him, to take him in and let him fall apart, too, until they were sated and whole.

“Thomas?”

Thomas looked back at Remus. “Yeah. Yeah, sorry.” He sent Remus a sheepish look and held up his phone. “Just—missing Noelle.”

“Hm,” Remus’ eyes turned sympathetic. “In a horny or a sad way?”

Thomas cracked a smile. “Aren’t they sometimes the same thing?”

Remus smiled back. “Unfortunately.”

“What’s this about Cap thinking you’re in your head?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just—” Remus cut off, narrowed his eyes.

Thomas held up his hands. “What?”

“He says when I’m worried about myself, I focus more on other people.”

Thomas hummed and looked at Remus. Remus looked back. Finally, he cracked the finest of a smile.

“Are we soulmates or something?” Remus repeated Thomas’ words from their first goal together back to him.

“The good, the bad, and the ugly—it would seem so. Hey.”

Remus tilted his head at him.

Thomas reached out to knock him lightly in the shoulder. “You never let us down.”

Remus offered a smile tinged with sadness, and he knocked Thomas’ shoulder back. “You’ll see her soon.”

“Yeah,” Thomas nodded. “It’s just—it’s like I have so much that I’ve ever wanted. Feels shitty to want more.”

Remus had begun nodding halfway through his sentence. “No, yes. Exactly. Fuck, exactly, no, that’s what I said.”

“I just miss her, and I have a Cup—”

“I got him, I just want the C—”

They’d spoken at the same time, and snorted into laughter. Remus groaned and rolled onto his back on the matt just as Finn walked in.

He raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Ah, Harzy,” Thomas sighed, leaning back on his hands. “We’re just basking in the love and longing, man.”

Finn just let out a low whistle and lay out a matt beside them. “I don’t need to bask. I’m soaked through with it.”

“Fucking English major.”

Finn pressed the soles of his shoes together, pushing his knees out. He sent Thomas an incredulous look. “You are, too!”

Thomas just held up his hands. He looked to Remus, staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling, and looked back down to his phone where there was a long string of hearts from Noelle. Say hi to my bb bro for me.

“Why’re you—you two are never quiet.” Finn looked between them.

Remus picked his head up and sent Thomas what he knew was a guilty look, and Finn scoffed.

“You were plotting against Logan.”

Remus pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Not Logan. The Rangers. Look, we won’t do it in front of you, but you know we have video review later, right? You’re gonna have to sit through that.”

Finn made a face. “Yeah…”

Thomas laughed. “Your competitive instinct’s kicking back in now, huh?”

Finn raised his chin defiantly. “If I lose to the love of my life, I’m going to perish.”

“Okay there, Harzy. How’s Leo feeling?”

Finn smiled. “Good. He’s meeting Lo now. It’s first kiss day.”

Remus shook his head. “First kiss?”

Finn just turned his smile towards the mat as he switched one leg out to stretch in front of him, then pushed himself up, heading for the treadmills. “First kiss day.”

“Oh yeah? What about you?”

Finn just sent them a peace sign in the mirror as he got the treadmill up to speed. “Already got mine.”

~

Logan felt pleasantly sore from their morning skate as he waited for Leo outside of the hotel the Lions were staying at. He was also starving, but that could wait. After all of this waiting, the day was going by in a blur. He’d been fierce on the ice, even Coach had said so—maybe even with a little bit of surprise that Logan was in such top form the day he would be going up against his former teammates. He didn’t blame anyone for being wary. He had been wary himself. He’d half expected to wake up this morning filled with dread, but looking back on it now—how could he have? All of his closest friends would be right there. He wouldn’t share their uniform anymore, but they were there—and some of his oldest friends now, too, dressed in his new blue.

He could picture himself walking down the tunnel now and skating out to a roaring Madison Square Garden. He could almost picture standing shoulder-to-shoulder against Finn at a face-off, Sirius and Alex with their sticks raised and waiting to win the puck as soon as the ref dropped it. He could almost picture himself pulling his stick back to slam a puck past Leo’s right shoulder, those blue eyes trained on him through his mask. Almost.

Then the hotel’s double entrance was being pulled open by two doormen and Leo was walking through a little bashfully, wrapped in a light sweater against the April air. He didn’t see Logan immediately, and it gave Logan a chance to just look. He’d hoped for a glimpse of the team during morning skate at MSG, but in the end he hadn’t quite had the courage to go venturing down to the visitor’s locker room. Almost, but not yet. Leo looked ready, though. Logan didn’t even know if he was starting in goal tonight, it could be Kasey, but Leo still looked ready. The feeling only increased when Leo finally saw Logan, waiting for him just down the steps. Logan had tried to dress inconspicuous, if only not to draw any fans—not to not be noticed. Part of him—and this part was so new that it almost didn’t feel like him at all, like running a hand through short hair after a haircut—wanted the entire world to stare as he took Leo for his own, everyday, broad-daylight happiness.

Leo stopped at the front of the steps and stared down at him, lips a little parted, eyes soft. Even disbelieving, Logan thought, and he didn’t want that. He wanted Finn and Leo to believe him. Believe this. So, he withdrew one of his hands from his pockets and held it out silently, palm up. Waiting.

Leo got a look in his eyes then, telling Logan he knew exactly what was about to happen, and all of Logan’s careful planning went right out the window because no sooner had Leo walked down the steps and strode up to him, than did he take Logan’s face in his hands, lean down, and kiss him hard on the mouth, right there in the sunlight.

And didn’t that certainly feel like what Logan had needed all his life. Careful Leo, gentle and willing to please, now taking him by storm.

It didn’t last long, hard and happy. Leo put his palm into Logan’s like they’d done it a million times instead of just thinking about it. “Where you taking me, huh, Tremblay?”

Logan let out an embarrassing sound, half laugh, half something love-struck. “No hello? I had a plan.”

“That was my hello. And I think we all know how good we three are at following through on perfect plans. Besides, I don’t want to have a plan to kiss you. I just want to do it.”

Logan was going to slip right through the sidewalk cracks. This was different than it had been with Finn—Leo wasn’t unsure at all, and it made it easier. Finn had been just as thrilling, but this…this was syrup and honey and sugar. “You’re sure you’re all right skipping your nap?”

“Are you, all right, Grumpy?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I don’t get grumpy.”

“Oh, sweetheart. That’s funny.” Leo brought their hands up and kissed Logan’s wrist, face tilted up to the sun. “You know what I never got?”

Logan could only shake his head, staring. He hoped they weren’t crossing a street soon, because he didn’t think he could look away from Leo’s face. He was always lit up to Logan, but this was different. His smile poured out light. He was so happy. He’d never seen Leo this happy before. Not for the Cup, not for anything.

“In, like, high school, right? There was never some nice boy waiting outside of class for me. Backpack, headphone sharing, I don’t know. It feels so…young, like I want a different version of it now, but the same idea? And—and…That’s how I felt just then.” They did finally stop at a crosswalk, in the shade of a tree. Leo looked down at Logan and Logan had to reach out and press a hand against his chest. He could feel Leo’s heart, flying. This was so different from Finn’s quieter, more timid want that he’d seen this morning. Logan understood why Finn had taken more time to melt into the easy happiness he’d worn on their walk home, but seeing Leo like this…Logan felt breathless.

Leo kissed his wrist again. “When I saw you waiting out there and I just thought—that’s him. There he is. He’s waiting for me. And, God damn, Lo, you have this smile that you give me sometimes…” Leo closed his eyes like the thought was something that tasted sweet.

“Look who’s talking,” Logan murmured, and they both smiled because it was a phrase they’d picked up from Finn.

Leo pressed a finger to Logan’s mouth, thumb brushing his bottom lip. “Yeah. That one right there.” He kissed Logan gently, thumb still between them, a little salty. “It makes up for all the lost time. It really does. Makes me feel like why would I ever have wanted anyone then when you were out here waiting for me, you and our boy.”

Logan tangled their fingers together and kissed him properly, aware that he was surrounded by busy people as he pushed up on his toes a little, even as Leo eagerly met him. It made him smile all over again.

“Allez.” Logan used their linked fingers to pull him around the corner instead of across the street where the light had changed. “You’re walking the wrong way.”

The cafe was small but busy, and their knees knocked together as they sat side-by-side at the tiny, round table that’d they’d barely caught. Leo set down the quiche and almond croissant he’d picked out for them to share, barely missing a beat before swiping up a bit of the almond paste that had leaked out and sucking it off his thumb.

“Hm, I was right, you’ll love this thing.”

“Oh?” Logan asked, and tried to ignore the insane hammering of his heart as he glanced for the fourth time at a couple who had obviously clocked them from the moment they’d stepped into the cafe. A man and a woman, just engaged by the way they had been admiring the diamond on her slender finger before they’d looked up and the woman had used that hand to excitedly hit her partner, alerting him to Logan and Leo’s presence.

“I see them, too,” Leo said softly to him now, and Logan looked back at him. His blue eyes were closer to how Finn’s had been now. Wondering. Waiting. Understanding. Hesitating. Logan heard them call his name for their coffee’s. Logan? the voice said. Logan? Waiting. So much waiting.

“Leo,” Logan said softly, and then leaned forward, fingers gentle at Leo’s jaw, and kissed him. Slow, easy, aching. A loud group of women talking by the door, an elderly couple sitting beside them, someone still waiting in line jostling their table with their shopping bags. Kissing Leo. He tasted like the sweet almond of the pastry. Logan did like it, but he wanted it again and again from Leo’s lips only. He wanted this again and again and again. He pulled back just as slow, barely giving them any distance at all. Just enough to see Leo’s blue eyes blink open. “Thank you for waiting for me.”

Leo’s brows drew together, lips pressed together in a smile brimming with emotion, and he nodded slightly, careful not to disturb the air between them.

“Of course,” he whispered. “God, Logan. Of course I did. Of course we did.”

Leo kissed him again, short and sweet, and then held up a piece of the croissant. “Here, so you don’t get grumpy. I’ll get our drinks.”

Logan just rolled his eyes and took it gently from Leo’s fingers with his teeth before Leo got up. He hummed happily as he chewed, Leo setting his creamy coffee in front of him. “Alex took me here, and I thought you would love it. He said to mention his name and we’d get everything free, but…” Logan wrinkled his nose.

“I know how you feel about extra attention, baby.” Leo laughed and tucked a hand around Logan’s shoulders. They’d never been able to do that before, not like this. The way Leo held him was close. Romantic. “We’re the last people who need anything for free.”

“If Finn was here, we’d be best friends with that couple and all of those people by the door,” Logan said.

“The barista,” Leo smiled. “Probably the chef, too.”

Logan laughed. “Ouais, true.”

Leo took another bite and sighed. “Ugh. Maybe it’s all right after all if you’re in New York. I can visit these croissants all the time now.”

Logan gave him a shove, but leaned in close so Leo would keep his arm where it was. They sat like that for as long as they could, knowing they had to get back to the rink soon. It wasn’t exactly an approved pre-game meal, but Logan had never felt more energized, more awake. He was alight with how he couldn’t stop touching Leo, how Leo couldn’t seem to stop touching him. He all but melted back into his seat when he felt Leo’s large palm smooth over his thigh. It wasn’t a come-on. He was just touching back. Touching, and laughing, and closing all the space that they’d had to allow for before, like sewing up and mending a tear in cloth.

As they left, hand-in-hand, Logan couldn’t help himself. He risked a glance towards the couple. The woman was watching the rest of the cafe, thumb smoothing happily over her ring, but he locked eyes with the man. Logan prepared himself for the worst, as he always had. A glare, or even just an awkward darting away of the eyes. But the man only smiled and mouthed Go Rangers. Logan smiled back, small and shy, but flashed a thumbs up with his free hand and let Leo lead him back onto the street.

They held hands for the short walk back to the hotel and Logan felt like he was saying goodnight after a first date as they stood there by the doors, once again at the bottom of the steps. Leo rocked forward on his feet once, gazing down at him.

“Can’t wait for tonight. We’ll just meet at your place? Coach always keeps us later for games like this.”

“I know,” Logan said. “Yeah. I’ll have some food for us.”

“What’s this?” Leo’s eyes widened. “Logan Tremblay—cooking?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I can make pasta. You know this.”

“Hm, we’ll see about that.” Leo put his hands on Logan’s waist and pulled him in nice and close. “Oh, and one more thing.” His smile turned challenging, confident. He leaned in and spoke so that his words brushed Logan’s mouth. “You’re not getting a single shot past me tonight, Tremblay.” He kissed Logan slowly, words in between. “Not. A single. One.”

Logan just kissed his grinning mouth. “We’ll see about that, Knut.”

#vaincre lumosinlove #vaincre spoilers #wolfstar #sirius black #remus lupin #wolfstar au #o'knutzy #lelo #finnlo #lionfish #Logan tremblay #Leo knut #finn o'hara #harry potter #Harry Potter fic #lumosinlove ocs

[floralflorence]

ofc when I get everything ready to post my ao3 doesn't work (my dumbass didn't check that it would be down for maintenance for the next hour and a bit :/)

I WILL BE UPDATING WITHIN THE NEXT 2 HOURS I PROMISE. as soon as ao3 is back, it'll be up <33

EDIT: it's up - hope you enjoy, flo xx

#lumosinlove #o'knutzy #lumosinlove ocs #o'knutzy x reg #leo knut #finn ohara #logan tremblay #regulus black #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #cubshots #update

[whataboutmyfries]

Spilled ink

oh my GOSH it has been a hot minute since I wrote these lovely boys!! so here I am, coming at you with small details for fictional kisses oknutzy style!!! headcanoned about this a while ago in the sw discord and it hasn't left my mind since so here we are! characters are by the wonderful @lumosinlove featuring art by my lovely friend @tobi-tobi-tobi who somehow manages to look into my brain with every single one of their pieces and this one was no different :)

enjoy!

~

1.Whispering ''kiss me'' to your lover

Right, so I’ve been thinking about LionFish reading and annotating a book together non stop :’) 

The two of them get cosy and comfy with their different coloured pens, smiling goofily at each other as they crack open the book, jumping into a brand new adventure together. 

If you were to go look at the book after they were done with it, there’s all these little signs of love over every inch of available space.

There’s wobbly tear spots that are outlined and doodled around where the words hit just a little bit too close to home 

Sticky notes over the typewriter ink where the feeling were too big for the page to hold

Leo draws little fishes swimming across the margins and it makes Finn a lovely-dovey mess; Every. Single. Time.

Naturally Lolo sees Finn scribbling in one of his precious books, gets curious, and decides to give this whole annotating thing a go.

One day Lolo just hands Finn a book with a scribbled note inside the cover saying 'hey, i read this and it made me think of you xx' and the first thing Finn notices is that the top right corner is like a centimetre or so thicker than the rest of the book from where Lolo's dog-eared all his favourite parts and Finn english major O Hara’s eye just twitches as he tries his best to not implode

He loves it. He cries. 

It’s this book of heartwrenching, delightfully emotional poetry about love and pining. And Logan’s scribbles about Harvard, and Finn, and finding him and Leo, and finding himself through them are so vulnerable and heartfelt that the only time Finn can read the book without sobbing his eyes out for hours is if he’s wrapped up in his Logan, head resting on Logan’s strong chest so he can lean up and whisper a hoarse “kiss me” when the memories are too big and too much to handle. 

It’s one of Finn’s most prized possessions. 

Leo annotating for Finn on the other hand…..

Picture if you will: What if Leo's current read is some historical fiction book and when he hands it to finn it's basically more than twice its original size and won't even close anymore from the sheer volume of sticky notes that Leo's put in there pointing out historical inaccuracies or just dropping cute lil history facts

Finn is a mess of heart eyes and undying love as he works his way through the behemoth of the book, and it still holds a treasured place on his bookshelf 

Yet another of his most prized possessions 

Fun fact: It’s only when they get into reading together that Leo finds out that Finn will use anything as a bookmark 

One day he comes home to find the household cat’s (king’s) face smooshed gently between the pages of Finn’s latest paperback, his whiskers peeking out the pages as he sleeps

Leo can’t decide between snapping a picture and laughing his ass off (he does both) 

Of course, in an effort to get their beloved Lolo into reading, the boys decide to annotate a book for him together, potentially giving him an incentive to read it. 

They find a brilliant thriller/horror+romance book that they think Logan would enjoy and they spend hours poring over it (even though it gives leo the heebie jeebies at times) and annotating it for Lolo, Logan's super confused as to why his boyfriends are reading the same book at the same time, like ???? this is so dumb? Why don’t they just take turns? it's it awkward to have to wait for the other person to finish reading? wouldn't it be easier to do it one by one? but when they're both finally finished writing all over it and making it perfect for their boy (there's absent-minded doodles of fleur-de-lis all over the margins in the purple pen that Leo used and little stick-figure drawing of the three of them in Finn's orange ink. It clashes horribly (Logan loves it). they give to him all wrapped up and pretty and Lolo tears up a little

When Logan's reading it, he can't help but laugh at the cacophony of purple and orange on every square inch of available space and the book quickly becomes his most prized possession. He knows it's a horror book and it's supposed to be scary and stuff, but how is he supposed to be scared when there's stick figure Finn with the most floofy hair brandishing a sword against a monster that doesn't look even remotely like the thing described in the book as he holds stick-figure logan in astronomically muscly arms?

Sometimes when Leo can't sleep, Logan grabs the book and reads to Leo, though Leo usually loathes thrillers/horror books. He's lying with his head pillowed on Logan's chest listening to the rumble of his sleep-hoarse voice as Lolo does silly voices for Leo and Finn's annotations and that's how Leo reads the book start to finish without being scared

Just them being happy and in love and the intricate rituals of storytelling <3

#oknutzy #lumosinlove ocs #coast to coast #hazelverse #whataboutmywriting #GODDAMN I LOVE THEM OKAY #LEAVE ME ALONE #THIS IS MY NEW COMFORT HC #logan tremblay #leo knut #finn o hara

[fruitcoops]

Hi Eve! How are you? I wanted to ask if you could please write coops and the cubs going to a gay bar/club for the first time?

I was just thinking about them having that feeling of community and freedom that comes with going to queer spaces, specially after all the hiding and fear they’ve all been through. Very fun and very freeing for all of them 🌈

PRIDE MONTH RAHHHHH!! This house will always have queer joy. Character credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW mentions of alcohol (no drunkenness)

“Hey, hey, hey, sexy thing!” Finn crowed with a brisk wolf-whistle. His hair ruffled in the evening breeze as he—there was no other word for it—swaggered down the walkway to the house. Behind him, Sirius saw Leo and Logan share an amused look.

“You’d better be talking to me, O’Hara,” he warned. Finn just winked, clicking his tongue. Little shit.

Remus’ arm was warm and solid around his waist as he pulled the back door closed behind them and locked it, one hand tucked nicely in Sirius’ back pocket. His jeans were tight (though not as tight as whatever Logan was wearing) and somehow, he didn’t think Remus had missed that fact, judging from the firm pressure of his palm and reluctance to remove it.

“I called the Uber,” Logan informed them, flipping his phone around and around with absent excitement. “T-minus deux minutes.”

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Leo muttered. Despite his words, Sirius could see the smile pulling at his mouth as he drew Logan closer under his arm.

“What, you aren’t a party animal?” Remus teased.

Leo snorted. “I’m a shit dancer, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Non,” Logan protested immediately, shaking him gently by the belt loop. “What happened to ‘best teacher ever’? You’ll be fine. Worst case scenario, grab Fish and find a dark corner.”

“And where will you be?”

“Reviving our reputation, obviously.”

Remus’ smile pressed close to his skin. “They’ll be like this all night, won’t they?” he murmured into the shivery space under Sirius’ ear.

He bit back a grin. “Would you expect anything different?”

“Hmm. No.” A kiss lingered at the hinge of his jaw. “You okay?”

“Me?” Surprise overwhelmed his desire to watch Logan try and coax Leo into dancing on the front lawn; he looked down at Remus and found his brows pinched in the middle. He reached up and pressed his thumb to it, soothing the worry with a smile. “Ouais, of course. I like dancing. I like you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” A blush crept up around the collar of Remus’ jacket—he didn’t really need it in Gryffindor’s mild June evenings, but Sirius wasn’t going to protest. He loved the way denim and sheepskin looked against Remus’ light tan. It softened him into comfort and quiet smiles, accented by the growing collection of patches ironed to the back. The tiny rainbow beneath the lapel made his eyes pop when he looked up again. Whatever Remus saw on his face, it made him smile and shake his head. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like—” Remus gestured toward him, laughing. “—the puppy eyes. All cute and lovesick.”

Sirius ducked and caught his lower lip between his teeth, pulling with just enough playfulness to make Remus hum. “It’s incurable. You’ll dance with me, yes?”

“Can’t leave you to suffer alone.”

Sirius gave him a jostle, then a squeeze around the shoulders. Remus made a soft noise when he kissed the top of his head. “Can’t suffer when I’m with you, loup.”

--

The club was already pulsing with life when they arrived.

“I’m going to get drinks!” Logan called over the noise, steering Finn away from the direct line of a wobbly-looking college student. “Meet under the moon sign in ten?”

“Sounds good!” Sirius shouted back with a firm thumbs-up. Rainbows flashed across their faces as he and Remus ducked into the crowd; Logan tracked the brim of his baseball cap for a few seconds before losing it in the throbbing mass of dancers.

He jumped when a hand found the small of his back. “Just me,” Leo said through a smile. His hair glinted like a neon halo in the low light. “Grab me something sweet, hmm? Harz wants—babe, what did you want?”

Finn’s answer was lost under the music; Leo nodded to him, and leaned down again.

“He wants something with oranges,” Leo relayed. He dropped a smiling kiss to the side of Logan’s head and gave one curl a light tug. “Stay out of trouble, cutie.”

“Who, me?”

Happiness seeped through his veins in a honeyed wave as he watched them go. They looked so good together that it was impossible to mistake them for anything but a couple. The drift of Finn’s hand between Leo’s shoulders, Leo’s instinctive lean toward him, their smooth slide through the crowd—Logan couldn’t believe his luck. He had dreamed of this for years, aching for the day he’d be allowed to show Finn off, and later, Leo. They were both too bright to be kept hidden away, no matter how selfishly he wanted to keep them to himself.

It wasn’t their first time going out together and certainly wouldn’t be the last. But he could still enjoy the novelty of watching heads turn and knowing he was the one they’d go home with.

The bartop was just as sticky as he anticipated when he knocked his knuckles against it and waved the bartender over. “Do you have specials?” he asked, leaning in to be heard.

Half-shaved hair fell over one eye as she blew it out of her face. “Whatcha looking for?”

“Something sweet and something with oranges. Plus a Rum and Coke and two beers, please.”

He caught the first part of her nod before a rush of people filled his vision, pushing and elbowing to get closer. Mesh and glitter rubbed up against him; a platform heel narrowly missed obliterating his toe and he jumped with a quiet curse. Someone yelled a “sorry!” that he barely heard in the tangle of drink orders and the thud of a sudden bass drop that left the dancers screaming for more.

The floor swayed in sweeping light and shaking hips—it pulled at him, drawing him in. Half the times he went out in college were simply to go dancing. He had endured far too many Footloose chirps, but it was always worth it in the end. Beneath the chaos, the heartbeat stayed the same. Feet and hands echoing the rhythm, bodies ebbing and flowing with each other like the tide meeting the beach. Glitter-sand coated tacky foam beneath his sneakers. Everywhere, on almost everyone, rainbows sprayed across endless ecstatic faces.

Coming to Pride night had been Sirius’ idea. They were all restless once the first weeks of post-season recovery spat them out again. Why shouldn’t we? he had shrugged, mouth half-full of melting ice cream. Kind of the best night for us. I like it there, anyway.

Logan was oddly proud of him for that.

He checked back at the counter, craning his neck to find the bartender. The crowd had only grown since he arrived, but if she was overwhelmed, her motions didn’t show it. She caught his eye and gave a gesture of ‘one second’; he shouldered his way between a tall woman in head-to-toe leather and someone in a unicorn onesie who was panting like they’d just run a marathon.

“I’m so sorry,” they said loudly with an apologetic shrug as they fumbled to unzip the front. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Logan shook his head. “I’ve seen worse.”

They laughed, pulling the top half around their waist to tie it like a jacket. Their tank top was so damp it was practically see-through. He kept down a sympathetic wince. Some people never learned. “I’m Avery,” they said. “I’d offer a handshake, but I’m fucking drenched right now.”

He stuck a hand out for a fist bump; they laughed again and accepted. “Why the unicorn?”

“Sparkly and rainbow. I don’t usually get to wear it, so I figured I might as well tonight.” Avery jerked their chin toward the bar. “What’s your poison?”

Something tickled at the back of Logan’s mind. He knew that trick. It had been a while since he had to think about it, though. “I’m getting a bunch for my table,” he answered easily. He hoped they’d be ready soon—Finn had a habit of attracting bachelorette parties like wolves to a wounded fawn. His ‘Bambi’ nickname contained multitudes.

Avery nodded, squinting at him between flashes of bright neon. “What’s your name?”

“Logan.”

“You come here often, Logan?”

There it is. Damn. It was so hard to find a nice way out of these things without—

A cheer went up from one side of the room; he caught a glimpse of a large rainbow beach ball bouncing across the crowd’s outstretched hands, all straining to touch it for just a moment like it was a holy relic. Body paint and crop tops and cuffed shorts to fight the heat that only grew worse (or perhaps better) in the sardine-packed bar.

Maybe it didn’t have to be so hard.

“Sometimes,” he answered. His throat tightened and he swallowed it down. No more of that. Pride night. Kind of the best night for us. “With my boyfriends.”

He didn’t remember the last time he had to turn someone down on a night out. Avery’s expression did a funny thing, somehow crestfallen and understanding all at once. “I h—”

“Tremblamalamalay!” Oh. There you are. He hardly had time to turn his head before Finn was there, larger than life and smudging a kiss to his cheekbone with all the grace of a newborn puppy. “Hey, hey, hey, sugar boy. Where you been?”

“Trying to find ‘something orange’, since you can’t pick anything normal,” he snorted, pushing at Finn’s face with no real strength behind it.

“You love it.” Finn’s gaze drifted from him to Avery, still warm, still calm. Logan watched it click in his head—as if on cue, the bartender slid their tray of drinks over. “Thanks so much,” Finn said with a smile, passing her a couple twenties. He handed Logan the tray, then looped a loose arm around his upper back and gave Avery a tilt of the head. “Sorry, but this one’s all mine tonight. Enjoy your drinks.”

“All yours, huh?” Logan muttered as they headed away from the bar.

Finn’s laugh was quiet, if a little shaky; he guided Logan past the swaying groups with ease and a squeeze of his arm. “Been waiting to do that for seven years, baby. You have no idea.”

Except Logan was pretty sure he did, with the way his chest fizzed and tingled under the glory of Finn’s attention. He paused by the edge of the dance floor and drew him in for a kiss by the front of his shirt. The drinks could wait. He certainly had.

--

Sirius would never be over how well they fit together. Remus was laughing now, all earlier concern a blip in the course of the night. His palm was big and warm at the back of Sirius’ neck; their hips rolled together seamlessly to the thumping bass. Every muscle was relaxed when he dragged a hand down Remus’ side, just to feel him breathe, feel him there.

“Tremzy’s probably back with drinks,” Sirius said into his temple, tucking his chin over Remus’ shoulder.

Remus raised a brow. “And?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” The song changed; he barely noticed. “You look good in blue, Lupin.”

A grin bloomed under the turquoise lights. “Keep talking.”

“Everyone is looking at you.” It almost made Sirius laugh. The interest, the longing. He loved seeing them yearn without a single move their way because they knew—total strangers!—that it would be futile. Remus’ knuckles stroked his cheek and he turned to kiss them softly.

A wild cheer went up when the bass dropped. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend those whoops and hollers were for them. Remus had asked if he was alright earlier, but his face always gave him away. Remus was always down for a good time, but he was never the first to suggest going out. It was a big ask to bring Pride night into it. Sirius knew that, and he loved him beyond words for it.

“Merci,” he whispered into Remus’ ear. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

Remus’ head weighed on his shoulder when he tilted it up to look. There was something searching in his eyes, as if he didn’t quite believe Sirius. He leaned down and kissed the corner of Remus’ mouth; when he moved away, suspicion had been replaced by fondness. “Love you.”

Sirius straightened, keeping his arms tight around Remus’ chest. “I love you, too!”

It was loud enough that several people near them averted their eyes—Remus pressed a hand over his mouth with a flustered noise that poorly matched his vivid, vibrant grin. “If you’re gonna keep doing that, I definitely need a drink.”

“Yes, I will go home with you,” Sirius said loudly. Dodging Remus’ palm was far too easy. “Thank you for asking! I will also get you a drink—mmph.”

Remus’ lower back tensed under his hands as he stood on his toes to deepen the kiss, combing his fingers through Sirius’ hair. No decorum, honestly. Didn’t the man know he was being obscene?

Remus brought one hand between them to poke him in the chest. “You’d better get me that drink,” he threatened.

Sirius kissed him again, softer, then dropped a chaste peck between his brows. “As you wish.”

The change in music seemed fitting as they made their way off the dance floor at last and headed toward the moon-shaped beer logo in the corner. Maneater pounded in his ears, almost louder than Remus’ bark of laughter when they finally broke through and found the booth the cubs had promised.

“I don’t even know,” Leo said when they approached, shaking his head and hiding a smile behind his drink. “Something about a unicorn onesie? Unclear.”

Finn detached himself (and his mouth) from Logan’s octopus-like hold for the briefest second. “Unicorn onesie that was flirting with your boyfriend,” he corrected, breathless like he’d just taken a double shift.

“Because nobody has ever done that before.”

“Pride night,” Logan cut in, then reached over and pulled Leo into a quick, hard kiss that made his drink slosh dangerously toward the rim of the glass.

“You can’t keep saying that every time you want a kiss!” Leo laughed, though he was already leaning in for more.

“Watch me.”

Sirius caught his eye as he sat back up; Logan looked entirely unapologetic, per usual. At least he had the decency to get them drinks. “We can leave,” Sirius said dryly. “If that’s more convenient for you.”

“That would be great, yeah,” Logan agreed.

Sirius rolled his eyes and shooed Leo over to make room. It was a bit of a squeeze, even with Logan splayed on one of Finn’s thighs while he sipped his sugar bomb of a cocktail. Remus tucked himself tight to Sirius’ side—perhaps tighter than necessary, but Sirius wasn’t about to complain. He wondered, briefly, if he could get Remus to sit on his lap as well.

But it seemed Remus had occupied himself already. He surveyed the room with quiet interest and measured breaths, each of which rose and fell in the safe arc of Sirius’ arm. The cubs had already begun amusing themselves with some sort of coaster-stacking game. It was good to see them let loose a little. They deserved a taste of freedom, after everything.

“This is really nice,” Remus remarked.

Sirius glanced back at him. “The beer?”

“Nah. Well, yeah, but…” He trailed off and tipped his head toward the heart of the club, one hand coming to rest on Sirius’ thigh with a light pat. “This. I like this.”

He was still a little sweaty from the dance floor when Sirius kissed the edge of his forehead. The salt was a familiar comfort. Hard work. Enjoyment. “I like you,” he said into a downy fluff of hair, echoing his earlier words.

Remus turned with a sideways smile. His fingertips drummed the thick glass of his beer. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Sirius’ jaw went slack.

“And I don’t tell you that enough,” Remus continued, matter-of-fact and fucking radiant. “So. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I like you so, so much.”

The side of his face lit up technicolor as he spoke. The electric blues and nuclear greens were nothing next to Remus’ watercolor eyes. Deep, warm amber, dripping into Sirius’ life and filling in those empty chasms carved out by unloving hands. He crystallized there, and made it all hurt a little less. Sirius would happily fossilize in those eyes given the chance.

A year ago, he hardly permitted himself to wrap his stick in a single twist of rainbow. The media crucified him for even that. Remus was relaxed here, comfortable, happy. He liked it in this place of June-drenched pride and Sirius couldn’t help but love it, too. He could love it like he loved Remus, like he loved seeing three of his best friends sink into the sweet newness of finally feeling safe. It nestled in the base of his lungs and made a home there.

He leaned in, and kissed Remus full on the mouth.

In the joyous haze of kissing his most favorite person and being kissed back, he didn’t care to spare a thought toward who might have a camera here. Let them take pictures if they wanted. Let them splash his face over tabloids for having the audacity to leave the box they gave him when he first took a jersey. Somewhere, someone would see it in a drugstore or outlet mall or hair salon and know they were not alone. If they wouldn’t encourage it, they couldn’t stop it, either.

Remus sighed against his mouth. Pin-point kisses traveled along his lower lip, up to the corner, up to his cheek, over to his jaw. “What were we ever so afraid of?”

Sirius couldn’t seem to recall.

#sirius black #remus lupin #finn ohara #leo knut #logan tremblay #coops #oknutzy #sweater weather #coast to coast #vaincre #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #fluff #queer joy #pride month #oc: avery

[moonofthenight]

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Hello and welcome to my new “Coops with a child” series! I have plans, I have ideas and a little time on my hands for once so we’ll see how this works out but for now: here is the first part - Coops decorating the nursery :) (Slight Vaincre spoiler for chapter 14!)

Read in AO3 here!

Coops and the Cubs belong to the amazing @lumosinlove , the child is my OC though <3

Twinkle, twinkle little star

When the blazing sun is gone

Then you show your little light

When he nothing shines upon

 „What’s taking you so long, mon loup? Come back!“ Sirius shouted from upstairs.

They had a long summer this year, with their season ending earlier. It was weird, unusual because, well. They weren’t exactly used to it. It wasn’t a bad season for them but the other teams were better this time and the mood had been gloomy for the past week, everyone still feeling a little down. Despite that, Remus couldn’t bring himself to care. Well, that was a lie. He did care but the long summer gave them more time for something way better and way more important than another Cup.

He heard some faint grumbling and smiled to himself. This was a little insane. His life had been a little insane, for over four years now. Remus thought about it often, about everything that had happened to him, about everything he gets to experience. Playing again? Being in the NHL? Getting to love Sirius Black through all of it? Marrying him? It was dreams coming true and more to Remus. It was like seeing the lemon tree he planted in 8th grade grow. Seeing all the work he put in, all the careful watering, all the healing finally making it bear the fruits. Five years ago he had laughed into anyones face when someone so much as mentioned he would be with Sirius Black. All the rest he never even dared to hope for. And now-

Remus laughed, „I can’t make the kettle boil the water faster, baby, give me a second!“

 The kettle started to whistle and Remus turned the stove off, filling the two cups he had grabbed from the cupboard with the hot water, letting the tea bags change the colour of it. Carefully, he balanced them up the stairs, successfully not spilling anything.

„Your tea, Mr. Black,“ Remus said with an English accent as he walked through the door, placing the cups on the makeshift table.

„That’s Lupin to you,“ Sirius replied with a cocky grin, kissing Remus on the cheek as a thank you for making them the tea. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his beating heart. He would never get tired of Sirius casually saying his last name out loud in that kind of context. Their last name. Remus sighed happily.

„How is the crib coming along?“

Sirius let out a suffering groan, „I swear that shit is more complicated than any schooling I had to endure.“

Remus laughed again, he never stopped around Sirius if he was being honest. He knelt down next to his husband on the ground, snatching the instruction manual out of his hands.

„Let the one with an actual degree look at this.“

„You have a medical degree, not one in engineering.“

„A degree is a degree,“ Remus insisted. 

Sirius smiled and pressed a kiss to Remus‘ lips.

 It was several hours later that the crib was finally in the corner of the room where it was supposed to be, perfectly built and standing. Sirius and Remus both stood in front of it, hands on their hips, looking proud but tired. Remus turned his head to look at Sirius.

„There is going to be a baby in there soon. Our baby,“ he said with a soft smile, grabbing Sirius’ hand.

„Don’t say that or I’ll start crying again,“ he answered with a chuckle, pulling Remus closer to his side. Remus rested his head on his shoulder, relishing in the quiet for a moment longer before he straightened again.

„I’ll go and make us dinner, yeah?“

„Oui. I’ll be down in a second, too,“ Sirius said, bending down for a soft kiss, his hands coming to rest on Remus‘ hips, who couldn’t help but melt into it.

„I love you so much,“ Remus said against Sirius‘ lips after they parted, not quite wanting to put more space between them just yet.

Sirius‘ grey eyes shone brightly. Most people described his eyes as a thunderstorm, a fog so thick nobody could see past it. Remus had always disagreed. He found freedom in those grey eyes. Romance. Love. Passion. Relief. Home. He smiled, the adoring one that was reserved for Sirius only. Although, he might have to share it with a little someone soon.

„I love you, too, mon vœu.“

Remus kissed him one more time, just a quick peck to not get carried away, before making his way down to the kitchen. He was quite hungry after all.

It was still warm and bright outside and Remus decided to set their table on the patio instead of the one in the kitchen. Some fresh air and afternoon sun would do them some good after spending the last days crammed up in the nursery. They had thought about this for a long, long time, talked to the team and then also with several boys separately. They spend nights awake, whispering the future into each other's skin. Sirius spent a whole week at the Dumais house at some point and James and Lily had been over more evenings than not. It felt right. They were in a secure spot in their lives right now and both of them started to feel the urge to have an addition to their family getting stronger by the day. It had been a journey of talks and phone calls and meetings and paperwork. They were sure, so very sure, about this but still, it was a huge step, a huge decision, and doubts crept up from time to time. Sometimes they needed each other through those, sometimes they needed themselves, sometimes someone else. After so many years together both of them were pretty confident in knowing what the other needed, especially in moments like these. So, he gave Sirius time, he knew he would join him when he was ready.

He came downstairs when Remus was halfway through his plate. Remus could hear the gentle pad pad pad of Sirius’ naked feet on the laminate, then on the wood outside. He put his own plate down on the table in favour of pushing Sirius’ in front of him. “All good, baby?” 

Sirius nodded and while Remus believed him, he still caught his gaze, searching for any sign of discomfort in his eyes but finding none. Remus grabbed his own plate again, leaning back in the chair at the same time that Sirius did. 

“You know,” Sirius said after he swallowed his bite, “I am so excited for this new chapter with you.” 

Remus smiled, “Sap.” 

That made Sirius chuckle in response, “You love it.” 

“I really do,” Remus said, reaching over the table to take Sirius’ hand in his own who gave him a look, “Who’s sappy now?”

They enjoyed the evening sun, watching it set lower and lower until it almost disappeared behind the horizon. They probably would have gone from watching the sunset to watching the stars together but their moment was interrupted by the doorbell and they looked at each other, confused. 

„Are you expecting someone?“ Sirius asked, standing up.

„No, I*m not,“ Remus answered, still confused, turning his body to look around the chair into their living room, following Sirius with his eyes until he was out of sight.

He leaned back in the chair again with a gentle huff, closing his eyes. He loved hockey, no doubt, but evenings, days, like these? He loved them even more. It was a reminder that this was what will always be around, what will always stay with him, no matter what and Remus liked being reminded of that fact once in a while. He opened his eyes again when the glass door behind him was being pushed to the side.

„It’s a package,“ Sirius said, sitting down and placing it on his legs.

„I didn’t order anything either,“ Remus said, leaning over in interest to peek at the address. New York.

„It’s from the Cubs,“ Sirius smiled, looking up at Remus, who grinned back at him. 

Remus snatched the package from his legs and Sirius poked him in the ribs for it but scooted his chair closer. Remus placed it on his own legs, tearing the tape away to open the box. Inside was another, a smaller one. Glowing Stars it said. With it came a card and Sirius recognised Leo’s writing almost immediately. So we are the favourite uncles from the start. Remus read out loud and laughed. Sirius rested his chin on his shoulder to read the next line. We would get her some real ones if we could. See you soon xxx

„It’s those “Glow In The Dark Stars” you put on the ceiling,“ Remus said excitedly, heart warm. Sirius looked at the package and then at Remus. „That’s actually really cute,“ Sirius said and then there was a pause. „We have to put them up in the correct constellations so she always looks at the same sky as we all do.“

Remus smiled bigger and then laughed out loud. He laughed and laughed until Sirius laughed too, both sounding more tearful than they would like to admit. Sirius reached out, putting his hands on both of Remus‘ cheeks, wiping away the wetness underneath his eyes. 

“We are going to be dads,” Sirius more or less sobbed into the summer evening air. 

“I love you,” Remus whispered, he couldn’t seem to stop saying it these days. Loving Sirius came as easy as breathing to Remus and he simply couldn't and didn't want to imagine doing this terrifying, beautiful thing with anybody else. Remus told him so. Sirius just cried more and Remus laughed quietly through his nose, putting his hands on Sirius’ face the same way he had. I am here. They cried with their foreheads pressed together until there were no tears left to cry, no tears of joy, nor tears of fear, finding comfort in each other. He didn't know how much time had passed, but Remus shivered and turned more into Sirius’ arms, searching for warmth. Sirius pulled him in closer, “Should we go sleep, mon cœur?” Remus thought for a moment, then shook his head. He pulled away slightly, resting his cheek on Sirius’ collarbone, looking up, finding his husband’s eyes. 

“Can we put up the stars now? I want to put the stars up now.” Sirius grinned and nodded, “Allez, Loops.” 

The funny thing was, the stars were the perfect finishing touch to the room. It was mostly done, the only thing left to build up was the changing table, everything else was pretty much already set and in place, even the decor. To be fair, both Sirius and Remus were the most excited to go shopping for baby clothes. Baby fever struck them hard and even though their family had gifted them enough clothes and supplies already, they would rather have too many than not go shopping themselves. Baby clothes were just too cute. 

The nursery was mostly beige, specks of Gryffindor red and gold scattered around the room. There was a fluffy carpet, stuffed animals and pictures of everyone who loved the little girl so deeply already. There were some of Harry’s old books on the shelves, Katie’s old princess costumes which she handed over readily, almost begging for them to take them even though they were still way too big. Sirius' heart soared at the memory of Katie coming into the guest bedroom of her house with a bag of her old childhood clothes, putting them next to the bed Sirius had been lying in. “I want her to have those.” “So she has something from me too.” 

The little black velvet box with the birth bracelet Regulus got her as ⅓ of the godparents sat on the window sill, ready to be put on her tiny wrist. Her name was engraved in the handwriting of all three. Her first name in James’, her middle name in Lily’s, her last name in Regulus’. Madison Aurélie Lupin. The name had been a difficult topic and they had endless talks about it. Over breakfast, over taxes, across the locker room. While Madison was never up for discussion (Remus was one of those people who had a list of baby names on his phone since his teenage years; Madison always had been his first choice and Sirius loved it as well), the second name was much more difficult. The first idea was to use one of their mothers names but with it came the question, Hope or Celeste? They agreed that the second name was Sirius’ to pick, since the first and last were already connected to Remus in some way. But, in all honesty, both women had played a significantly important role in his life and he didn’t want to choose. While he wasn't particularly fond of the family he was born into, he still wanted a connection to his French roots. For Regulus but also for his team. Remus lost count of how many books Sirius brought or websites he looked through to find the perfect name. He still didn't know where he found it but it was mid December and Sirius came home from a day out with James and Harry. He had barely toed his shoes off before he had been standing in the door of the living room, coat still on when he looked at Remus and said, “Aurélie. I want her second name to be Aurélie.” and that was that.  They hadn’t really told anyone the final decision, except her godparents, who were too persistent and annoying to keep it from them. But Sirius and Remus didn’t really mind, not when the three of them had surprised them with the bracelet not too long ago, making sure they would know they had made the right choice. Not that there was ever any doubt about it in the first place.

Hope and Lyall cried in their arms when they had told them about the decision to have a baby and promptly cried even more when they said they already chose a surrogate mother. Remus had taken Jules to the rink the day after, wanting to tell his brother separately. Jules stopped mid play, had let his stick fall to the ice and tackled Remus into the boards with a grin so bright it rebelled the sun. A week or so later there had been a package from Wisconsin with a crescent moon lamp in it. The very same Remus, and then Jules, had all their childhood long. It now sat on the wall over the crib. There was a bit of everyone in their family in this room and they loved it more than anything. So, the stars were the perfect addition. Now the Cubs were with her as well. 

Sirius felt tears well up in his eyes again when he looked up at the finished ceiling, blinking rapidly to keep them at bay. He just stood there for a while and layed down on the ground eventually, eyes never leaving the stars on the walls. Unknown to him, Remus snapped a picture of it, sending it to the Cubs who responded with a selfie. All three of them had red, puffy eyes and were pouting into the camera. Remus smiled, put his phone in his back pocket and walked over to his husband, laying down next to him.

#we run together they are my family series #Madison Aurélie Lupin #twinkle twinkle little star #coops #lumosinlove #sweater weather lumosinlove #vaincre lumosinlove #vaincre spoilers #sirius black #remus lupin #leo knut #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #o'knutzy #fluff #~ 3k